Learn How to make Batter coated, crispy, crunchy chicken pakora in this detailed blog. If you have been looking for recipes to go with the Monsoon mood- look no further. Here’s the one that goes perfectly with the season- Chicken Pakoras.
Oh, how much we loved monsoons. Every year, we waited for month of June- when nature bestows its blessings upon us in form of rains. Trees, birds, and greenery that wear a tired look just before the monsoon arrives feel replenished and are back to their resplendent beauty in the first rains. We both- Smita and I, loved rain to the core. What we looked forward to most was standing by the balcony railings- as the nature would come down gently like a drizzle. Smita would push herself forward gingerly ensuring only her face would be exposed to the rains. I would be standing behind her holding both our cups of coffee. She would love a cup of strong beaten coffee that I would make for her, especially in this season. Occasionally she would urge for some snacks to pair up with her coffee. We would often make different kinds of Bhaji/Pakoras like- Vada Pav, Mirchi Vada, Dal Vada, Chicken Lollipop, or hot samosas. Let me come back to today’s post but would talk about our love for monsoons in future posts.
One of the constant grumblings that one hears while sharing recipes for Pakoras is that Pakoras turned soggy, or were not crispy in the first place, or pakoras were too oily. Let’s see some tips that could help us address these issues
#1. Adding a little bit of rice flour to the besan helps make the pakoras light and crispy and would not absorb as much oil as it does when batter is made only besan (chickpea flour)
#2. Ensure you fry the Pakoras on low-medium heat and the pakoras are evenly browned. Drain on paper towel.
#3. Ensure batter is of spoon coating consistency which is desirable consistency for making crispy and crunchy pakoras.
#4. Whisking batter with a whisk is most important element of the equation which we often to overlook. If you whish it enough, you do not need to add any baking soda to the batter. Whisking incorporates enough air to the batter and makes it light. This results into coating for pakoras or vadas becoming light and fluffy.
#5. To check if Oil is perfectly hot, slide in small portion of batter in the Oil. It should rise and float on the surface of Oil immediately and not sink to the bottom of pan.
#6. Pay very close attention to amount of water added while making batter. Do not add water at one time while making batter. If batter becomes too thin, it may start ruin size and shape of pakoras.
I hope following these tips would help you address some of the issues that you may have faced in past and help you make crisp and crunchy pakoras.
Now while you roll your sleeves up and decide to dash into your kitchen to make chicken pakoras for your family I would leave with you with a titbit information.
Here’s an interesting fun fact about chicken pakoras that I came across in an article written by noted author, Vir Sanghvi. Here’s an excerpt from this article-
“According to Monish, the chicken pakora was invented by Kundan Lal in Peshawar in the 1930s. There were no fried snacks on the menu of his Peshawar restaurant and so Kundan Lal had the idea of batter-frying a chicken, marinated in tandoori chicken spices and serving it as a chicken pakora”
Make yummy, delicious, crisp, and crunchy chicken pakoras following this recipe and share your feedback with us in comment section below
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
- Chicken Breast- 500 gms
- Green Chilies-3, chopped
- Rice Flour- 2 tbsp
- Coriander leaves-3 tbsp, chopped
- Besan- 1 Cup, 120 gms
- Turmeric Powder- ½-tsp
- Red Chili powder- ½-tsp
- Cumin powder- ½-tsp
- Aamchoor Powder- 1-tsp
- Carom Seeds (Ajwain) ½-tsp
- Ginger Garlic paste- 1.5-tbsp
- Salt to taste
- Cooking Oil
- In a large bowl, put besan. Add rice flour. Add green chilies and coriander leaves. Add salt to taste.
- Add water gradually for making batter. Use a whisk to mix the ingredients instead of a spoon. We have used about ¾th cup of water for making batter. Ensure batter has spoon coating consistency.
- Allow this batter to rest for an hour.
- Cut chicken breast into uniform sized pieces. In a large bowl, put chicken cubes. Add 1-tbsp cooking oil.
- Add Ginger-Garlic paste, Carom seeds (ajwain), aamchoor powder, cumin seeds powder, turmeric powder, red chili powder and 1-tsp salt. Mix well. Allow marinated chicken to rest for an hour.
- After an hour, dip some chicken pieces (5-6) in batter and coat it well.
- Meanwhile, heat oil for deep frying in a thick bottom pan. To check temperature of Oil, slide in small amount of batter in Oil. Batter should rise on Oil surface but should not turn brown immediately.
- Now, drop batter coated chicken pieces into the Oil and fry on medium heat.
- Make sure chicken is cooked on medium heat so that it gets cooked properly and turns crispier.
- Cook each batch for about 4-5 mins on medium heat. Fry remaining chicken pieces in batches.
Click here to watch recipe video
Leave a Reply