You don’t have to be a connoisseur, not even a major fan of Indian food, to love pakoras. The base is chickpea flour mixed with aromatic spices and oil, which then combines with your favorite veggies, cheese, or tofu.
Originally, pakoras are fried. This is why I have avoided making them, fearing that the oven-baked pakora won’t be as indulging and tasty. Boy, was I wrong!
As I said, feel free to use veggies of your choice to this aromatic make oven-baked pakora. It can be a pepper, cauliflower, peas, onions… The same thing goes for the spices: you can use garam masala, cumin, coriander, turmeric, chili flakes, garlic powder… depending on the taste you wish to achieve.
As for the pakora dough texture – it should be liquid but thick enough to stick onto the veggie or tofu. Think of a pancake batter consistency, more or less.
Pakora is a fantastic appetizer, or you can serve it as a side dish, accompanying another Indian delight. For example, this fantastically creamy chickpea peanut butter curry. Another great way to serve your oven-baked pakora is with chutney (recipe coming soon) or the traditional raita salad – greek yogurt, cucumber, and cumin. Enjoy!
Aromatic vegan oven-baked broccoli pakora
Course: Snacks and side dishesCuisine: IndianDifficulty: Easy4
servings20
minutes20
minutesThis savory jewel of the Indian cuisine is gluten-free and can be made with any veggies you like. This recipe faves broccoli, for a juicy interior as opposed to crunchy crust outside.
Ingredients
150 g chickpea flour
1 broccoli head
Mixed spices: cumin, coriander seeds, turmeric, pepper
3 tbsp of olive oil, more if needed
Water
Salt
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 200 C.
- Break the broccoli into florets and steam-cook them for a few minutes.
- In a big bowl, mix all the dry ingredients. Add oil and start adding water, spoon by spoon while mixing constantly. The batter should be thick but liquid enough to stir easily.
- Cover the broccoli with the batter and form individual pakoras. Place them on a parchment paper and bake until they form a golden crust, for about 20 mins.