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Taste Bud: Spinach Pakoras
Words and photos Theodora HurustiatiNOT EXACTLY THE PRETTIEST recipe …Fritters, no matter what their origins, are not exactly the prettiest looking food you could prepare
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Words and photos Theodora Hurustiati
NOT EXACTLY THE PRETTIEST recipe …
Fritters, no matter what their origins, are not exactly the prettiest looking food you could prepare. Yet they’re dangerously tempting to eat. Typically, it’s difficult to control yourself and stop at just a piece. Without realizing it, you’ll be going back and forth to the kitchen to pick up one fritter at a time. Before coming to your senses, you’re likely to have finished a whole batch alone. My favorite type of vegetable fritter is still Indonesia’s bakwan–made using cabbage, soybean sprouts and carrots. However, the ones for this recipe are inspired by Indian pakoras. Although pakoras are often prepared using potatoes and onions, I prefer to use spinach to make them “lighter” and trick myself into believing that they’re completely healthy!
The unusual ingredient in this recipe for Indonesians would be the chickpea (or garbanzo bean) flour made by milling them raw, as you would with wheat to make the traditional flour. You can find chickpea flour in the health food sections of well-stocked supermarkets. When it’s imported from India, you might find it under the name of gram flour or besan. This flour is gluten free, as chickpeas are from the legume family. It’s also rich in dietary fiber and a good source of protein for vegetarians. In stating these facts, I’d say that these fritters are guilt-free. Well, almost!
Makes 12-15 pieces (serves 3-5)
Spinach Pakoras
100g chickpea flour
50g rice flour
120-150ml water
100g spinach
1 spring onion
2 (or more) chilies
1 clove of garlic
10g ginger
1 teaspoon garam masala or curry powder
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
Salt
Vegetable oil, for frying
Tamarind chutney
100g dried tamarind pulp
200ml tepid water
50g unrefined brown sugar
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon chili powder
10g ginger
Salt
- Cut tamarind pulp into small chunks and soak in water to soften for 30 to 60 minutes.
- Rub and massage the softened pulp to jouce.
- Strain through a sieve to discard seeds. You should have about 200 milliliters of thick tamarind “juice”.
- Dry roast cumin seeds in small saucepan until fragrant.
- Add tamarind, chili powder, sugar, salt and ginger–previously peeled and grated.
- Cook over low heat until it comes to boil and slightly thickens.
- Let cool and serve with pakoras fritters.
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container. It should last for a couple of weeks.
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Jakarta-born chef Theodora Hurustiati, a 13-year resident of Udine, Italy, was the runner-up in the TV cooking program La Scuola – Cucina di Classe (The School: Classy Cooking).
