This easy paneer pakora recipe is super delicious and the perfect tea-time snack or party appetizer. Here spice marinated paneer pieces are coated with besan batter (chickpea flour batter) and deep-fried until crispy.
½ cup + 2tablespoonsWaterYou may need more or less depending on the quality and freshness of besan.
Oilfor deep frying
Instructions
Take paneer into a bowl and add lemon juice, salt, red chili powder, garam masala, kasoori methi, and ginger garlic paste. Toss and coat all the pieces with spices. Use your hand/fingers (not spoon) for even coating. Leave it aside for 15 minutes to marinate and meantime make pakoda batter.
To make a batter, take besan, rice flour, salt, and spices (ajwain, red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder) in a bowl. Mix until everything is combined.
Add little water at a time and start making a smooth, lump-free batter.
Add ginger garlic paste, mix and let it 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.
Once resting time is done, beat the batter for a minute or until it becomes light and slightly lighter in color.
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 marinated panner piece, dip into the batter, and let the excess batter drip, slide it carefully into the hot oil. Repeat this until the pan is full.
Flip them (or move them around) for even browning from all sides.
Once fried, golden brown, and crispy from all sides, 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
Thickness of paneer pieces: Never make cubes or too thick pieces. Always make slices that are less than ½ inch thick. Otherwise, you’ll get too much paneer in the center and less portion of the outer layer.
Batter consistency has to be medium thick. The thick batter won’t give you a crispy outer layer. The thin, watery batter won’t stick to potato slices.
Never add baking soda to the batter as it makes the soft and oily outer layer.
Always fry 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.
Remove fried 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. To reheat paneer pakora in the air fryer, arrange them in a single layer in the air fryer basket and cook at 370°F (190°C) for 2-3 minutes, or until crispy.