Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Paneer Bread Pakoras | Crispy Battered Bread & Cottage Cheese Fritters

Bread Pakoras are a ridiculously indulgent treat. Fresh bread, dipped in a batter of spicy chickpea flour is deep fried and served hot with a choice of spicy sauce. Its an all time favourite, sold at busy city spots by street vendors, often in day old newspapers!!!! As a kid I remember many a birthday party where bread pakoras made an appearance. And more recently, I was pleasantly surprised to see them at an Indian restaurant here.

Now there's no doubt that bread pakoras are rich. Yet, the trick to these nuggets of joy is to ensure that the batter coats the bread entirely and to some extent is absorbed into the outer layer of the bread. Getting this ratio right can be tricky. If you dip the bread for less time in the batter, you are going to end up with a really oily pakora which will be soggy and truly inedible. If you get it right, the you're in for a treat. A pakora that is truly crispy on the outside, and hot and tender on the inside. Paired with warm sweet tea, its a treat!! Comfort food anyone?



Bread pakoras can also be made as filled pakoras. This only makes them tastier!! Here is my recipe for a a filled bread pakora.

Ingredients:
1 cup chickpea flour
Water, enough to make a loose batter
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Paprika
4 slices whole wheat bread
Oil, for frying

For the Filling:
1/2 cup fresh paneer (Indian-style cottage cheese)
1 red onion, sliced fine
2 tbsp green chutney

Method:
  1. Combine the chickpea flour with the salt and paprika. Add just enough water to make a batter of a thickish coating consistency. Set aside.
  2. Place the bread slices on a cutting board. Using a butter knife, apply the green chutney to the open face of each of the slices. Place 2 slices of paneer, on top of 2 of these slices, and then add a layer of the onions. Place the 2 remaining slices chutney-side down on the toppings to create 2 sandwiches.
  3. With the palm of your hands, press down on each of the sandwiches so that they adhere well. If pieces of onion and paneer fall out at this point, leave them out.
  4. Quarter each of the sandwiches using a sharp bread knife to get 6 filled quarters.
  5. Heat the oil in a deep wok, then turn the heat to medium. Using your hands, lift a quarter-sandwich and dip into the chickpea flour batter. Make sure that all sides are covered with an even layer of the batter. Gently release the pakora into the oil. Fry evenly until all the sides of the bread pakora are golden brown and well cooked.
  6. Using a slotted spoon, lift the pakora out of the oil, drain of any oil, and place on a kitchen towel to remove any excess oil. You now have a paneer bread pakora!
  7. Repeat for all the sandwich quarters. These can also be fried in batches, instead of one at a time if your wok is large enough.
  8. Serve hot with more chutney.
Don't forget, bread pakoras are great as party fare. They will be a hearty addition to any menu. They are really easy to prepare and can be prepared in advance. They can be served both warm but taste delicious cold too.



This yummy recipe goes to Hima at SnackORama who is hosting Sunday Snacks - Fry It. It also goes to EasyCrafts at her blog Simple Indian Food. Her series What's Your Favourite has asked us what our favourite party food is? Do visit these great events to learn more about the lovely party foods that you can add to your table!!

All text and photographs in this blog, unless otherwise noted, are Copyright of © Annarasa 2007-2013. All Rights Reserved. Kindly do not reproduce without permission.

2 comments:

  1. What a delicious snack...love paneer in any form!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Excellent idea of making these paneer bread pakoras...thanks for participating

    ReplyDelete

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