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Sarah's Christmas Pakoras

Meat Option

Makes 12-15

Ingredients:

  • 3 tbsp Greek yoghurt
  • 1 tbsp cumin seeds (dry toasted)
  • 1 1/2 tsp curry powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
  • 1 tsp chilli flakes or 1-2 chillies, finely chopped (or more to taste)
  • 1 heaped tbsp chopped coriander
  • 1 medium egg, beaten
  • 100-150g chickpea flour
  • Approx. 125g shredded leftover turkey or chicken meat
  • 4-5 leftover roast parsnips, grated or diced (approx. 85g)
  • 3 leftover roast carrots, grated or diced (approx. 85g)
  • handful of curly kale (approx. 40g), destalked and shredded
  • 1 small brown onion, finely sliced (approx 80g)
  • vegetable oil

Note: You want roughly an equal volume of each of the leftover ingredients

Method:

  1. Heat your oven to 180c and line a large baking sheet with greaseproof paper.
  2. Take a large bowl, mix together the yoghurt, cumin seeds, salt, grated ginger, chillies, and chopped coriander. Taste, and adjust the seasoning.
  3. Mix in the beaten egg followed by the flour, you’ll have a thick batter, you want a dropping consistency.
  4. Add the cooked meat, leftover vegetables, shredded kale and sliced onion to the batter. Use your hand to mix and squelch everything together (keep one hand clean). You may want to add in a touch more chickpea flour for a thicker batter consistency or add water if your batter is too thick.
  5. Heat some vegetable oil in a frying pan. You can test when the oil is hot enough by gently dropping in a piece of onion, if it sizzles the oil is hot enough.
  6. Time to shallow fry. You will need 2 tablespoons, one to scoop out the mixture (ensure you have an equal amount of all the veggies in each scoop), the other to help gently place it in the hot oil and slide off the other spoon. Be mindful not to overload your pan. Fry the pakoras until golden on each side.
  7. Once fried and golden place the pakoras onto kitchen towel to absorb any excess oil. Repeat as necessary.
  8. Now transfer the pakoras onto the lined baking sheet and bake until cooked through – will be around 5 minutes depending on how thick your pakoras are. Or you can air fry.
  9. Eat immediately with whatever sauces and chutneys take your fancy.

Veggie Option

Makes 12-15

Ingredients:

  • 3 tbsp Greek yoghurt
  • 1 tbsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tbsp coriander seeds toasted and crushed in a pestle and mortar
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
  • 1 tsp chilli flakes or 1-2 chillies, finely chopped (or more to taste)
  • 1 heaped tbsp chopped coriander
  • 1 medium egg, beaten
  • 100-150g chickpea flour
  • 3 medium sized carrots (approx. 375-400g), grated
  • 60g curly kale, destalked and shredded
  • 1 large brown onion, finely sliced
  • vegetable oil for shallow frying

Note: You want an equal volume of carrot, kale & onion

Method:

  1. Heat your oven to 180c and line a large baking sheet with greaseproof paper.
  2. Take a large bowl, mix together the yoghurt, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, garam masala, salt, grated ginger, chillies, and chopped coriander. Taste, and adjust the seasoning.
  3. Now mix in the beaten egg followed by the flour, you’ll have a thick batter, you want a dropping consistency.
  4. Add the grated carrot, shredded kale and sliced onion to the batter. Use your hand to mix and squelch everything together (keep one hand clean). You may want to add in a touch more chickpea flour for a thicker batter consistency or add water if your batter is too thick.
  5. Heat some vegetable oil in a frying pan. You can test when the oil is hot enough by gently dropping in a piece of onion, if it sizzles the oil is hot enough.
  6. Time to shallow fry. You will need 2 tablespoons, one to scoop out the mixture (ensure you have an equal amount of all the veggies in each scoop), the other to help gently place it in the hot oil and slide off the other spoon. Be mindful not to overload your pan. Fry the pakoras until golden on each side.
  7. Once fried and golden place the pakoras onto kitchen towel to absorb any excess oil. Repeat as necessary.
  8. Now transfer the pakoras onto the lined baking sheet and bake until cooked through – will be around 5 minutes depending on how thick your pakoras are. Or you can air fry.
  9. Eat immediately with whatever sauces and chutneys take your fancy.

Goodness Gracious Me green sauce (optional)

Ingredients:

  • 250g full fat Greek yoghurt
  • 15g coriander leaves
  • 25 young leaf spinach
  • 1 green finger chilli roughly chopped or more to taste
  • juice of half a lime, plus a little zest
  • x1 sea salt flakes (or to taste)

Method:

  1. Blitz all of the ingredients together using a blender. Ta da, it’s ready! Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.