Aloo Pakora, also known as Potato Bajji is a popular Indian snack in which sliced potatoes are coated in a spiced gram flour batter and deep-fried until golden and crispy. Vegan and gluten-free.
Just hearing the word "pakora" makes us start daydreaming about their deliciousness. Everybody has a select variety of pakora. Some of the traditional variants include bread, aloo, paneer, palak, pyaaz, etc. You may also experiment with stuffings to make mixed vegetable pakoras, cheese pakoras, and other variations. We are sharing our favorite pakora recipe with you today. It's known as Aloo Pakora.
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What Is Aloo Pakora?
Aloo Pakora, also known as aloo bhajiya, potato bajji, potato bhajiya are Indian-style potato fritters where sliced potatoes are dipped in gram flour batter and fried until golden and crisp. They are generally served as a tea-time snack and best enjoyed with chutneys or ketchup.
This dish calls for desi ingredients, which are widely available in Indian kitchens. If not, you can easily get them from your nearest grocery store.
Ingredients
How to Make Aloo Pakoda
Peel the potatoes and slice them into thin rounds using a knife or mandoline slicer. Then place the potato slices in a bowl of cold water until you are ready to use. This helps to remove excess starch and prevents the potato from browning.
In a mixing bowl, add besan (gram flour), rice flour, ginger, ajwain, red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, salt, and cooking soda (optional). Mix well to combine the dry ingredients.
Then gradually add the water little by little while whisking to make a smooth and medium-thick batter consistency.
The batter should not be too thick or thin. It should just coat the potato slices correctly. Whisk the batter further for at least 2 minutes to make it light, fluffy, or airy.
Heat oil in a wide, deep kadai on a medium-high flame.
Once the oil is hot enough, Add a few sliced potatoes to the batter, gently toss them to coat the batter evenly, shake off any excess batter, take each coated potato slice, and gently slide in the oil. Do not overcrowd.
Fry the bajjis until they turn crispy and golden brown on both sides.
Once done, use a slotted spoon to remove bajjis from the oil and place them on a paper napkin to absorb any excess oil.
Potato bajjis are ready. Sprinkle some chaat masala for a tangy touch. Serve immediately.
Serving Suggestions
Pakoras are best paired with masala tea and green chutney. Indians mostly consume it for tea time and even as breakfast in some regions. Monsoon is the best to have them.
Tips
- Type of Potato to use: It is ideal to use starchy potatoes like Yukon gold or Russet, as they hold their shape well while frying. Avoid using waxy potatoes.
- Thinly Sliced Potatoes: Slice the potatoes thinly and evenly for the pakoras to achieve crispy pakodas. Thick slices may result in undercooked potatoes and soggy exteriors. You can use a sharp knife or mandoline slicer to cut into thin slices.
- Fry In batches: Always fry the potato bajjis in small batches, allowing them to cook evenly and crispy. Do not overcrowd
- Serve Immediately: Serve bajjis immediately after frying them for a crispy texture.
Variations
- Dont have Rice flour: If you dont have rice flour at home, replace the same amount with cornflour/starch, or you can totally skip it.
- Dont have ajwain seeds: You can replace ajwain with jeera (cumin) seeds for the bajji's. It will give a nice taste and also helps with indigestion.
- Other Vegetables: Potatoes can be replaced with onions, zucchini, bottle gourd/lauki, ridge gourd, or eggplants.
Frequently Asked Questions
No pakoras are not healthy as they are deep-fried. Deep-fried food items may take a toll on your health. However, you can air fry the bajji to make them healthy.
As the name suggests, aloo pakora is made up of thinly sliced potatoes, dipped in spiced gram flour batter, and fried in oil until golden brown.
When preparing the batter for your fritters, using cold water may help to keep them crispy. The cold batter prevents the fritters from absorbing too much oil, keeping them light and crispy.
Too much water in the batter is one of the most frequent reasons for soggy pakodas. Ensure that the batter is slightly thick and coats the potato slices well for crispier fritters.
You must pay attention to the temperature of the oil if you want perfectly crispy, non-greasy pakoras. If you begin frying your pakoras before the oil has heated sufficiently, you will find that they absorb more oil as they cook.
There are many recipes you can prepare with leftover pakoda batter. For instance, cheela, besan dosa, pakoda for kadhi, and more.
More Potato Snack Recipes
More Snack Recipes
- Onion Pakoda
- Sev Puri
- Spicy Masala Makhana
- Corn Bhel
- Corn Pakoda
- Barbeque Nation Style Cajun Potatoes
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Aloo Pakoda (Potato Bajji)
Ingredients
- 2 medium potatoes
- ½ cup besan (gram flour)
- 2 tablespoons rice flour (or corn starch)
- ½ teaspoon ginger paste
- ½ teaspoon ajwain (carrom seeds)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala
- salt to taste
- 1 pinch cooking soda (optional)
- oil for deep frying
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes and slice them into thin rounds using a knife or mandoline slicer. Then place the potato slices in a bowl of cold water until you are ready to use. This helps to remove excess starch and prevents the potato from browning.
- In a mixing bowl, add besan (gram flour), rice flour, ginger, ajwain, red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, salt, and cooking soda (optional). Mix well to combine the dry ingredients.
- Then gradually add the water little by little while whisking to make a smooth and medium-thick batter consistency.
- The batter should not be too thick or thin. It should just coat the potato slices correctly. Whisk the batter further for at least 2 minutes to make it light, fluffy, or airy.
- Heat oil in a wide, deep kadai on a medium-high flame.
- Once the oil is hot enough, Add a few sliced potatoes to the batter, gently toss them to coat the batter evenly, shake off any excess batter, take each coated potato slice, and gently slide in the oil. Do not overcrowd.
- Fry the bajjis until they turn crispy and golden brown on both sides.
- Once done, use a slotted spoon to remove bajjis from the oil and place them on a paper napkin to absorb any excess oil.
- Potato bajjis are ready. Sprinkle some chaat masala for a tangy touch. Serve immediately.
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