Baked Pakoras (Gram Flour Dumplings)
Pakoras are famous in India, especially during Monsoon season. This baked version of pakoras is much healthier than the deep fried ones, without compromising on taste.
Ingredients
- 3 medium red onion (300 grams)
- 2-3 green chilies (adjust to preferred spice level)
- handful of fresh coriander or mint leaves (optional)
- ½ cup rapeseed oil (Rapsöl or mustard oil) (120 ml)
- ½-1 tsp red chili powder (adjust to preferred spice level)
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 cup Besan (gram flour) (135 grams)
- ¼ cup corn starch (30 grams)
- ¼ tsp baking soda (kaiser natron)
- 2-3 Tbsp water
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Peel and thinly slice the onion. Finely chop the green chilies and herbs (if using).
- Set the oven to preheat at 180° Celsius.
- Combine the onion, green chilies and herbs in a big bowl. Add ¼ cup of oil to it and reserve the other ¼ cup of oil for greasing later. Add the red chili powder, turmeric powder and salt to the onions. Coat the onion well with the spices and oil, separating the onion strands using your hands.
- Add the besan (gram flour), corn starch and baking soda to the bowl. Mix again to coat the onion with the dry ingredients.
- Add the lemon juice. Gradually add water (1 tbsp at a time) and mix well to make a thick batter. The batter should not be runny but well incorporated.
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper and grease it with oil using a brush or your hands. (you can also use spray oil to grease the parchment paper).Make several pakoras by placing about a tablespoon full of batter lightly on the tray (Do not press it too much). Place the pakoras a few centimetres apart from each other.
- Bake the pakoras in the preheated oven at 180° Celsius for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, take the pakoras out and brush them on the top with the remaining oil.
- Put them back in the oven and bake them for the 20 minutes. Increase the temperature to 220° Celsius in the last 2 minutes to make the pakoras extra crispy.
- Take out from the oven and rest for 2-3 minutes before serving warm with this spicy mint and coriander chutney.
Notes
Please DO NOT confuse baking soda with baking powder. They are two different ingredients which will affect the results. This recipe calls for 'BAKING SODA' (kaiser Natron in German) and not baking powder.