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Air Fryer Vegetable Fritters (Pakoras)

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Are you hungry for a quick inexpensive gluten-free snack? I have loved these Indian vegetable fritters (known as pakoras) for years. My girlfriends and I in high school would get together for take-out Indian food monthly and these little fritters would be my favourite. I hope you like this easy homemade version of them. Serve them with ketchup or, more traditionally, tamarind chutney or cilantro dipping sauce.

These would go really great as a side item with Curry Lamb Stew.

The Ingredients

For those who are gluten free-curious, chickpea flour (or besan flour as Indians say) may be a new flour for you. It is great used mixed with vegetables as it is here. You can find it at most bulk food or international grocery stores. The vegetable can vary. Think about what would be the same texture and make sure to cut everything in thin long lengths.

  • cabbage

  • red onion

  • chickpea flour

  • rice flour

  • salt

  • cilantro

  • cumin

  • turmeric

  • chili powder

  • vegetable oil

  • ketchup or chutney for serving

Slice the Vegetables

If you have a mandolin, those can be handy to slice the cabbage and onions as thin as possible. The point of this is to make sure the vegetables cook through in the air fryer. The thicker they are, the longer it will be to cook through. Add them to a bowl.

Forming the Dough

Squeezing with your hands, mix and incorporate all of the remaining ingredients together. Give it a few minutes before you cook them so that the vegetables begin to release moisture. This is the perfect opportunity to preheat your air fryer.

Form and Cook

When your batter is thick and ready to cook, see if you need to add a little water. You don’t want it too wet because then the batter will fall through your air fryer basket. When you are ready to cook, spray the basket and add small dollops of the fritter dough to your basket leaving about 1″ space between each one. Spray with cooking oil Air fry for 6 minutes, flip over and cook until golden and crisp.

Air Fryer Vegetable Fritters (Pakoras)

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 12 mins

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: 16 pieces

Equipment

  • Air Fryer

  • Mandolin

  • cooking spray

Ingredients  

  • 1 cup cabbage sliced thin

  • ½ cup red onion sliced thin

  • 1 cup chickpea flour also known as besan flour

  • 3 tbsp rice flour

  • 2 tsp salt

  • 1 tbsp dried cilantro leaves

  • ½ tsp chili powder

  • ½ tsp turmeric

  • ¼ tsp ground cumin

  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil

  • ¼ cup water

  • ½ cup ketchup or tamarind chutney or other Indian dipping sauce, for serving

Instructions 

  • Mix all of the ingredients together except for the chosen dipping sauce.

  • Squeeze with your hands until you start to feel some liquid release from the vegetables. The liquid will form a thicker dough and bind the vegetables together. Knead for 2 min.

  • Preheat air fryer to 350F.

  • Check the dough. Start adding water 1 tbsp at a time.

  • Spray the air fryer basket with cooking oil.

  • Using a measuring spoon or small cookie scoop, put about 2 tbsp batter onto the air fryer basket. Press each one down lightly. Leave about 1" between each fritter. Spray top with cooking oil spray liberally.

  • Air fry 6 min. Flip and spray again with cooking spray. Air fry an additional 2-3 minutes or until the middle is soft and cooked.

  • Serve warm with dipping sauce of choice.

Eva Bee