Aloo Pakora Potato Pakora Aloo Bajji

More aside brinjal pakodas! We have a new bajji contender in town. A bowl of hot bajii, pakora or bhajiya can make a frustrating day instantly feel better. While everyone is familiar with and loves munching on Onion pakoda by the dozen, the aloo version remains a distant third in popularity charts after Chili bajji. While aloo pakora are traditionally paired with monsoon and a hot cuppa of Masala Chai, you can make these anytime you need something crunchy for snacking. They are super quick to whip up! When visitors turn up unannounced, you don’t have to get into tizzy wondering what to serve. Even the barest of pantries will have some aloo hanging around to be transformed into this crispy delicacy. Fry up a quick batch and dish them out with some tangy or hot chutneys like Green chutney, Garlic chutney or Mint chutney.

What is Aloo Pakora?

In Hindi “Aloo” means “potato” and pakora are traditional Indian gram flour fritters. Aloo pakora is a popular Indian snack where sliced potatoes are dipped in spiced gram flour batter and deep fried to perfection. It only needs basic spices like red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, carom seeds and ginger garlic. Carom seeds known as ajwain is the key spice that is always used in any kind of pakoras. These impart a unique flavor, aroma and mild heat to the aloo pakora. Apart from that carom seeds and gram flour make for a great combo, complimenting each other’s flavors. Carom seeds are well known as a digestive spice and avoids flatulence and stomach troubles. Traditionally aloo pakora are made with gram flour but my recipe also uses a small amount of Rice flour or semolina which gives that extra crisp texture to the fritters. In some street side stalls and restaurants, corn starch is added instead of rice flour. Most South Indian home cooks prefer to use rice flour as it is considered a better healthier option than corn starch which is refined. Whether you sprinkle chaat powder as they do in North India or call it bajji and eat it with Coconut chutney like a Southerner, this fried savory is a simple and easy to make dish. These aloo pakora are best deep fried and they don’t turn out good in the air fryer and in the oven. More Fritter recipesBread pakoraOnion pakoraCauliflower pakoraEgg bajji

How to Make Potato Pakora (stepwise photos)

Preparation

Wash and peel 2 medium potatoes. Slice them moderately thin as seen in the picture below. Thicker slices won’t cook well from inside. Keep them immersed in a bowl of water and keep it aside.
To a mixing bowl, add

½ cup besan (gram flour)2 tablespoons rice flour½ teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)¼ teaspoon garam masala½ teaspoon red chili powder⅛ teaspoon turmeric.½ teaspoon salt½ teaspoon ginger or ginger garlic paste. You can also make a fine paste of 1 small onion and green chili and add it to the mixture. I have used coarse besan here which yields crunchy bajji. You can also add 1 tbsp of semolina for the crunch. Or You can substitute rice flour with corn flour.

Add water little by little and begin to mix to a smooth paste. Start with 4 to 5 tablespoons water and add more to make a batter that is not too thick or too runny.

Fry aloo pakora

If the batter is too thick it will not coat the potato slices. If it is too runny then the slices will not hold the batter.
If you feel it is too thick, add a splash of water to the batter. If it is too runny, sprinkle some gram flour and mix. This picture should help you adjust the consistency.
Heat oil in a deep fry pan until hot enough. Do a test, drop a small portion of batter to the oil. It should come up without turning brown. This is the right temperature. If it is very hot, aloo pakora will turn brown outside without cooking inside. If it is not hot enough they will soak up lot of oil. So the oil must be medium hot.
Dip each slice in the batter and gently slide them in the hot oil. Do not disturb for 2 mins and let the aloo pakora firm up. Later keep stirring and fry until golden. They usually take about 3 to 4 mins to cook well and turn golden. However it may also depend on the thickness of the slices.
Once light golden, turn down the flame to medium low and let them fry until deep golden and crisp. This step will help them to become crisp and less greasy. Remove them from oil. Transfer to a cooling rack or a steel colander. Serve aloo pakora with a cup of hot tea or with any chutney or sauce.

Ingredients

Gram flour: Also known as besan in Indian languages, it is nothing but Bengal gram flour. It is made from skinned and split black chickpeas dal. It is not the same as chickpea flour, which is made from white chana or garbanzo beans. If you do not want to use gram flour you can use yellow corn flour, though the aloo pakora taste different, they turn out delicious and somewhat good. Rice flour or Semolina: We always add a bit of semolina or rice flour so the starch imparts that extra crispness. If you do not have both, simply use the same amount of corn starch aka white corn flour or potato starch. Ginger garlic paste: You may replace the spice paste with ginger and garlic powder but your aloo pakora won’t have the same flavor as the fresh ingredients impart the best flavors. Green chili: I haven’t used green chilies to make it kids’ friendly. In a lot of fried snacks and pakoras my mom would always add it crushed along with the ginger garlic & even with onion paste. The flavor is great with this paste.

Pro Tips

Slicing Potatoes: Slice the potatoes moderately thin and not very thick or very thin. Very thick slices will not cook well. Carom seeds (ajwain) is the main spice that is used here. Apart from adding a nice aroma to the aloo pakora, the seeds also help in digestion. If you do not like the seeds you can also add them crushed. Consistency of batter: Making the batter right is the key to make crisp fritters. The consistency of the batter should not be runny or too thick. But it should be moderately thick enough to coat the potatoes. Frying: Ensure you fry them on a medium heat. Very high flame will brown the aloo pakora without cooking the potatoes inside. Similarly very low flame will make them very oily as they soak up lots of oil.