CRISPY VEGETABLE PAKORAS WITH TAMARIND SAUCE
Hot Italian sausages, served on brown basmati rice, with sautéed Italian tomatoes, vegetable pakora, steamed green beans and steamed asparagus
Crispy Vegetable Pakoras:
¼ of a 1.5 lb / 680 g bag of potatoes, boiled and sliced thin
1 cup / 250 ml (130 g) chickpea (gram) flour (finely ground dried chickpeas)
⅓ cup / 80 ml unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon /5 ml ground turmeric
¾ teaspoon /3.75 ml salt
1 tablespoon /15 ml butter or olive oil, divided
1 small white onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon / 15 ml whole coriander seeds
1 teaspoon / 5 ml ground cumin
2 teaspoon / 10 ml red chili pepper flakes
¾ cup / 175 ml water
2 teaspoon /10 ml lemon juice
1 handful of spinach, roughly chopped
¼ cup / 80 ml cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
Neutral tasting vegetable oil, for frying
In a small dish combine turmeric, cumin, and salt.
Melt ⅔ of the butter in a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat. Evenly distribute the hot butter over the surface of your skillet.
Add onion and garlic to the skillet and cook for 1 minute. Add the potatoes and ½ of the mixed spices from step 2. Stir, and move the vegetables to one side of the skillet. Add the remaining butter to the other side of the skillet and add the coriander seeds and red chili pepper flakes. Cook, stirring both sides often, while keeping the vegetables mostly separate from the spices. Cook until the onions are tender and translucent and the spices are fragrant. Do not overcook the spices. (The potatoes don’t need to be fully cooked)
In a deep, heavy bottomed saucepan, heat 1” (2 ½ cm) of frying oil over medium-high heat. Allow plenty of time for the oil the get hot (between 325°F to 350°F (163°C to 177°C).
In a large bowl, mix together chickpea flour, remaining spices from step 2, lemon juice, and water to make a smooth batter.
Gently fold the spinach, cilantro, potatoes, onions, and spices into the batter.
Use a large tablespoon to drop loose spoonfuls of the pakora batter into the frying oil. Don’t compress the batter too much when you scoop it. Cook the first side until deeply golden and crispy, flip and cook the other side. Drain cooked pakoras on cooling rack or paper/kitchen towel.
Tamarind sauce:
2 cups water
2 tablespoons tamarind concentrate
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon black salt or Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
Heat water over medium-high heat until just boiling. Add in tamarind concentrate and stir until completely incorporated. Add sugar, salt, cayenne, cumin, and ginger. Stir until sugar and salt are completely dissolved.
Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until thickened to a point that it’s slightly syrupy, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool for 10 minutes. Use immediately or transfer to an airtight container and store in refrigerator for up to 1 month
Total meal per person : 957.7 calories
Brown basmati rice :1/2 cup per person : 320 calories
Low-fat, hot Italian sausages: 3 per person: 340 calories
Garlic salt per person : 1tsp : 1.2 calories.
Sautéed Italian tomatoes : 1/4 cup per person : 42.5 calories
Mixed vegetable pakoras : 3 pakoras per person : 180 calories
Tamarind sauce: 1.5 tablespoons per person : 45 calories
Steamed green beans : 50g per person : 15.5 calories
Steamed asparagus (3 large): 12 calories for 3
Maldon salt to taste is all dishes : 0 calories
Recipe posted by Annie Goussard Newton
Photo: Annie Goussard Newton
