Pakora

Five rules for crispy pakoras. First: the batter must be thick — not runny pancake batter, but a stiff mix that clings to the vegetables. Thin batter slides off and fries to a flat, oily shell. Second: add rice flour or cornflour to the chickpea flour — it absorbs extra moisture and adds crispiness that chickpea flour alone cannot produce. Third: oil temperature around 170°C — too hot burns outside before inside cooks; too cool and the pakoras absorb oil. Fourth: do not crowd the pot — each batch of cold vegetables lowers the oil temperature. Fifth: drain on a wire rack, not paper towels — paper traps steam under the pakoras and softens the bottom.

Besan (also called gram flour) is flour made from dried chickpeas. It has more protein than wheat flour, and that protein creates a crispier, more flavourful crust when fried. It also has a naturally nutty flavour that is central to the taste of pakoras. Substitutes: regular all-purpose flour works but produces a softer, blander result. A 50/50 mix of chickpea flour and rice flour gives the crispiest pakoras. Cornflour (cornstarch) can replace the rice flour but should not replace the chickpea flour entirely. Chickpea flour is now widely available in supermarkets and online.

Almost any vegetable suitable for frying works. Classic: onion (the best — becomes sweet and crispy), potato (thin slices or julienne), cauliflower (very small florets), spinach (whole leaves or roughly chopped). Also good: eggplant (thin rounds), courgette, green pepper, corn kernels, cabbage. The rule: cut everything thin and uniformly so it cooks through before the outside burns. Watery vegetables like tomato or cucumber release too much liquid and make the batter runny — avoid them or pat very dry before adding. Onion is special: it releases water under salt, effectively mixing the batter for you.

Yes, intentional. The batter starts very thick because salt draws moisture out of the vegetables as they sit in the mix. After 15 to 20 minutes of resting, the vegetables release enough liquid to bring the batter to the right coating consistency — you didn't need to add much water at all. If you add too much water upfront, the batter becomes runny before the vegetables even go in, and you end up with flat, greasy pakoras. The working batter should cling to the vegetables and hold together when you drop a spoonful, not run off them.

Mostly yes, with regional variation. Pakora (or pakoda) is the general term across India and Pakistan for mixed or chopped vegetables coated in chickpea flour batter and deep-fried. Bhaji or bhajia usually refers to a single vegetable — one slice of onion, one spinach leaf — dipped individually in batter rather than mixed through it. The famous onion bhaji served in British Indian restaurants is essentially pakora made primarily with onion. The difference is more about region and presentation than recipe: pakoras tend to be chunky mixed fritters, bhajias tend to be individual dipped slices.