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kindkitTonight I made vegetable pakoras using this recipe.
I sprinkled them with chaat masala from Raghavan Iyer's 660 Curries and dipped them into cilantro-mint chutney and tamarind sauce from the same book.
Chaat Masala
2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted and cooled
1 teaspoon dried pomegranate seeds (I used preground pomegranate powder instead because that's what I could find)
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon amchur (mango powder)
2 teaspoons black salt
1 teaspoon coarse salt, or to taste
Grind the cumin seeds, dried pomegranate seeds, and peppercorns to the consistency of coarsely ground black pepper. Mix in the other ingredients.
Notes: If your black salt and amchur are lumpy like mine, give them whir in the grinder along with the cumin etc. I used only about 1/3 teaspoon of regular salt and it seems to have been enough. If you haven't used black salt before, you should know that (a) it's pink in its ground form, (b) it has a sulfurous smell like boiled eggs, or, to be blunt, farts (c) it nevertheless tastes really good.
Mint and Cilantro Chutney
1/2 cup packed cilantro (fresh coriander) leaves and tender stems
1/2 cup packed mint
1 tablespoon plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
6 fresh green chiles (I used 4 Thai chiles but I think 6 would have been okay)
A couple of slices of fresh ginger (the book is absurdly specific--the slice should be 2 1/2 inches long, 1 inch wide, and 1/8 inch thick) but I didn't bother
Put it all into a blender and puree. It will keep in the fridge for 5 days and can also be frozen.
Notes: You will need to use a blender. A food processor will not puree this properly. Trust me.
Sweet Tamarind Sauce
1 teaspoon tamarind paste or concentrate (I used a tablespoon of concentrate)
1/4 cup jaggery or packed dark brown sugar
10 pitted dates, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups water
Put the water into a saucepan, whisk in the tamarind, add everything else, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for about 10 minutes, until the liquid is reduced by about half. Let cool for 5 minutes or so and puree in a blender. The sauce will keep 5 days in the fridge and can be frozen.
Notes: I didn't have dates, so I used about 12 dried Smyrna figs and a few golden raisins (sultanas). The result was still delicious.
Iyer recommends making sure you get a little of both sauces in each bite. He's right.
It's a good thing that frying is kind of a hassle, or I think I would eat pakoras every day.
I sprinkled them with chaat masala from Raghavan Iyer's 660 Curries and dipped them into cilantro-mint chutney and tamarind sauce from the same book.
Chaat Masala
2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted and cooled
1 teaspoon dried pomegranate seeds (I used preground pomegranate powder instead because that's what I could find)
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon amchur (mango powder)
2 teaspoons black salt
1 teaspoon coarse salt, or to taste
Grind the cumin seeds, dried pomegranate seeds, and peppercorns to the consistency of coarsely ground black pepper. Mix in the other ingredients.
Notes: If your black salt and amchur are lumpy like mine, give them whir in the grinder along with the cumin etc. I used only about 1/3 teaspoon of regular salt and it seems to have been enough. If you haven't used black salt before, you should know that (a) it's pink in its ground form, (b) it has a sulfurous smell like boiled eggs, or, to be blunt, farts (c) it nevertheless tastes really good.
Mint and Cilantro Chutney
1/2 cup packed cilantro (fresh coriander) leaves and tender stems
1/2 cup packed mint
1 tablespoon plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
6 fresh green chiles (I used 4 Thai chiles but I think 6 would have been okay)
A couple of slices of fresh ginger (the book is absurdly specific--the slice should be 2 1/2 inches long, 1 inch wide, and 1/8 inch thick) but I didn't bother
Put it all into a blender and puree. It will keep in the fridge for 5 days and can also be frozen.
Notes: You will need to use a blender. A food processor will not puree this properly. Trust me.
Sweet Tamarind Sauce
1 teaspoon tamarind paste or concentrate (I used a tablespoon of concentrate)
1/4 cup jaggery or packed dark brown sugar
10 pitted dates, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups water
Put the water into a saucepan, whisk in the tamarind, add everything else, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for about 10 minutes, until the liquid is reduced by about half. Let cool for 5 minutes or so and puree in a blender. The sauce will keep 5 days in the fridge and can be frozen.
Notes: I didn't have dates, so I used about 12 dried Smyrna figs and a few golden raisins (sultanas). The result was still delicious.
Iyer recommends making sure you get a little of both sauces in each bite. He's right.
It's a good thing that frying is kind of a hassle, or I think I would eat pakoras every day.
