Vegetable Pakora

I purchased a vegetarian Indian cookbook, but haven't cared for any of the recipes to date. So most of my Indian recipes come from the internet. I rarely remember which site...

Vegetable Pakora

Ingredients:
1 cup chickpea flour (available at Indian/Asian grocery store)
1/2 tsp coriander
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp garam masala
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3/4 cup water
Oil for frying
Vegetables of your choice, cut into pieces*

Directions:
Mix flour, coriander, salt, cayenne pepper, garam masala and garlic. Make a well in the center and fill with water. Gradually mix the water into the flour & spices to form a smooth, thick batter. Let sit for 30 minutes. Heat oil to 375 degrees (medium-high burner).

Fry the vegetables a few at a time, turning once, for about 4-5 minutes until done. Remove from oil and place on paper towels. Serve immediately with a Cucumber Raita sauce for dipping (recipe below).

*We used cauliflower and carrots, but you could use pretty much any vegetable you like. Although green peas might be a tad small...


Cucumber Raita

Ingredients:
2 cups plain yogurt
2 tbsp honey
1 large or 2 small cucumbers; de-seeded, grated and drained of water
1 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp cumin

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Chill and serve.


Comments:
We served this to guests on Friday evening and were very happy with the results. It's super-easy and tastes great! What did GLH think? Well, Gadget Boy has decided that perhaps we need a new gadget: a deep fryer. He just can't help himself, can he?