Perfectly crisp aloo pakora recipe! Thinly sliced potatoes are coated with chickpeas flour batter and deep fried until crispy. This potato bajji is the most common snack to enjoy with a cup of tea on a rainy day.
Different regions of India have different names for pakora e.g bajji, bhajiya, and pakoda.
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❤️You’ll Love This Recipe
Texture: Crispy and light outer layer with soft melt-in-your-mouth potato inside.
Quick to make: Making aloo pakora takes under 30 minutes (from start to finish). Perfect appetizer for unexpected guests to serve with chai (tea).
Easy to make: Follow the tips mentioned in this potato pakora recipe and you can easily without any fail. 3 steps (make batter, slice potatoes, and fry) and it’s done.
Dietary Info: This potato bajji is a vegan and gluten-free snack or appetizer.
🧾Ingredient Notes
Here is a pic of the ingredients you’ll need to make a delicious aloo pakora recipe.
- Potatoes: I prefer to use Yukon gold or red-skin potatoes for Indian cooking.
- Besan (gram flour or chickpea flour): It is a must whenever making any kind of pakora or bajji recipe.
- Rice flour: A little amount is added and it gives a crispy texture to the outer layer.
- Turmeric powder: Added for deep yellow color.
- Red chili powder: Added to get a hint of spice.
- Ajwain: It helps in easy digestion as this is a deep-fried, heavy snack.
- Oil (not in the picture) is used for deep frying potato pakora.
👩🍳Step By Step Photo Instructions
Make Batter:
1) Take besan, rice flour, salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder, and ajwain in a bowl.
2) Mix it evenly with a spoon.
3) Add water a little at a time and mix to make a smooth, lump-free batter. Do not dump all the water at once.
Batter Consistency:
4) Thick Batter (not good): When you drizzle the batter back into the bowl, you’ll see the ribbons holding its shape.
5) Medium thick batter (right consistency): When you drizzle the batter back into the bowl, the ribbons are forming but within seconds it will mix into the batter. Meaning it’s not holding its shape like earlier in a thick one.
6) Whisk the batter for 3-5 minutes vigorously until it becomes fluffy and lighter in color.
7) Cover and rest for 10 minutes.
Slicing Potatoes:
8) Scrub and wash the potatoes, peel, and slice them into ⅛ inch thick slices.
9) I have done it by hand using a knife. You can use a mandoline slicer for uniform slices.
Frying Aloo Pakora:
While you are slicing the potatoes, heat oil in a kadai or pan for deep frying on medium-high heat.
Check if the oil is ready for frying or not. Drop a tiny amount of batter into the oil and it should come to the surface of the oil right away. If it settles at the bottom and takes some time to come on top then the oil is still not ready for frying.
10, 11, 12) Once the oil is hot enough for frying, take one potato slice, dip into the batter, and let the excess batter drip, slide it carefully into the hot oil. Repeat this until the pan is full. You’ll notice they will puff up nicely.
13, 14) Once the bottom side is golden brown, flip them using a slotted spatula and fry another side until crisp and golden brown. Notice that there are so many bubbles and hissing sounds in the beginning as the aloo pakora still has moisture in it. As it gets fried and crispy, the bubbles start to get less and less meaning there is not much moisture left and the aloo pakora has become crispy.
15) Once fried, remove them using a slotted spatula, drain the excess oil, and add into a strainer (that is kept on a plate). Repeat the frying process until done.
💭Expert Tips
- The batter consistency has to be medium thick. The thick batter won’t give you a crispy outer layer and the potato vs layer ratio will be off. The thin, watery batter won’t stick to potato slices.
- Always fry aloo pakora on medium heat. Oil has to be at the right temperature to get the best texture. As you add pakora to the oil and you see the oil temperature dropping that time increase the heat to medium-high and later again lower it back to medium. So you need to adjust the heat accordingly.
- Never add baking soda to the batter as it makes the oily and soft aloo pakora.
- Whisking the batter for 3-5 minutes is a must to fluff up the batter.
- Batter resting time is also a must.
- Remove fried potato pakora on a strainer or a cooling rack (not in a paper towel lined plate). By doing so, air will circulate from everywhere and it prevents them from getting soft.
Why my aloo pakora are not crispy (soft and soggy)?
It can be any of the below reasons.
- The batter is thin or too thick. If it's thick then add some water and make the consistency right. If it’s thin then add some more besan until you get the right consistency.
- The oil is not enough for frying. When pakora are added to not-hot oil then it absorbs so much oil and results in soggy, oily, and soft bajji. So increase the stove heat, heat the oil at the right temperature, and fry the rest of them.
🥣 Storage & Reheat
- Aloo pakora tastes best when served fresh (right away within a few minutes).
- But the good news is that you can re-heat the pakora in the air fryer and you’ll get the same crispy texture back.
- Reheating aloo pakora in air fryer: Arrange potato bajji in air fryer basket in a single layer. Air fry them at 370°F (190°C) for 2-3 minutes or until crispy.
- Use leftover batter: Store it in the fridge for 2 days. You can add some more spices (like chili powder, garam masala), chopped green chilies, ginger garlic paste, and some finely chopped veggies to make a chilla batter. Make chilla or puda and you’ll have breakfast for the next day.
🍽 Serving Ideas
- Serve aloo pakora as a snack on a rainy day (monsoon season) or cold wintery days with a hot cup of tea or coffee.
- You can serve dipping sauces on the side like cilantro chutney and tamarind date chutney or ketchup.
- It can be served as a starter or appetizer with chutneys.
- It can be served as a farsaan (side) along with a full meal (thali that contains sabji, dal, rice, puri or roti, salad, etc)
Check Out Other Pakora Recipes
- Onion pakora
- Palak pakoda
- Corn pakoda
- Cabbage pakoda
- Paneer pakoda
Did you try this aloo pakora recipe (potato bajji)? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a review in the comment section below.
📋 Recipe Card
Aloo Pakora Recipe (Potato Bajji)
Ingredients
- 3 medium Potatoes peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 cup Besan (gram flour)
- 3 tablespoons Rice flour
- ⅛ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon Red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Ajwain (Carom seeds)
- ¾ cup Water You may need more or less depending on quality and freshness of besan.
- Oil for deep frying
Instructions
- Make Batter: Take besan, rice flour, salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder, and ajwain in a bowl.
- Mix it evenly with a spoon. Add water a little at a time and mix to make a smooth, lump-free batter. Do not dump all the water at once.
- Whisk the batter for 3-5 minutes vigorously until it becomes fluffy and lighter in color.
- Cover and rest for 10 minutes.
- Medium thick batter (right consistency): When you drizzle the batter back into the bowl, the ribbons are forming but within seconds it will mix into the batter. Meaning it’s not holding its shape like earlier in a thick batter. Ribbons will hold its shape when the batter is too thick. Ribbons will not form at all if the batter is thin.
- Slicing Potatoes: Scrub and wash the potatoes, peel, and slice into ⅛ inch thick slices. I have done it by hand using a knife. You can use a mandoline slicer for uniform slices.
- Frying: While you are slicing the potatoes, heat oil in a kadai or pan for deep frying on medium-high heat.
- Check if the oil is ready for frying or not. Drop a tiny amount of batter into the oil and it should come to the surface of the oil right away. If it settles at the bottom and takes some time to come on top then the oil is still not ready for frying.
- Once the oil is hot enough for frying, take one potato slice, dip into the batter, and let the excess batter drip, slide it carefully into the hot oil. Repeat this until the pan is full. You’ll notice they will puff up nicely.
- Once the bottom side is golden brown, flip them using a slotted spatula and fry another side until crisp and golden brown. Notice that there are so many bubbles and hissing sounds in the beginning as aloo pakora still has moisture in it. As it gets fried and crispy, the bubbles start to get less and less meaning there is not much moisture left and aloo pakora has become crispy.
- Once fried, remove them using a slotted spatula, drain the excess oil, and add into a strainer (that is kept on a plate). Repeat the frying process until done.
Notes
- The batter consistency has to be medium thick. The thick batter won’t give you a crispy outer layer and the potato vs layer ratio will be off. The thin, watery batter won’t stick to potato slices.
- Always fry aloo pakora on medium heat. Oil has to be at the right temperature to get the best texture. As you add pakora to the oil and you see the oil temperature is dropping that time increase the heat to medium-high and later again lower it back to medium. So you need to adjust the heat accordingly.
- Never add baking soda as it makes the oily and soft pakora.
- Remove fried potato pakora on a strainer or a cooling rack (not in a paper towel lined plate). By doing so, air will circulate from everywhere and it prevents them from getting soft.
- Use leftover batter: Store it in the fridge for 2 days. You can add some more spices (like chili powder, garam masala), chopped green chilies, ginger garlic paste, and some finely chopped veggies to make a chilla batter. Make chilla or puda and you’ll have breakfast for the next day.
- Reheating aloo pakora in air fryer: Arrange potato bajji in air fryer basket in a single layer. Air fry them at 370°F (190°C) for 2-3 minutes or until crispy.
Vinny
Your recipes are very well researched and the measurements are so accurate. I can confidently make them for the first time even if I am having guests. Thank you for taking the time to share your talent with us!
Kanan Patel
Very glad that recipes are helpful.
Nirmal Joy
The pakoras were just perfect for Fortser's rainy and wet day...Thank you
Kanan
Glad that pakora came out good.