Ingredients

• 200 gm. besan or gram flour or chickpea flour

• 2 cups full (or more) of chopped beetroot leaves. You can use spinach, radish, fenugreek, turnip or any other edible green leaves

• 1 onion, peeled and chopped or sliced (optional)

• 1-2 green chillies, chopped finely. Omit if you like the pakoras to be mild.

• 1/4 tsp. baking powder (optional)

• 1 1/2 tsp. salt, adjust to taste

• 1 tsp. chilli powder, adjust to taste

• 1/4 tsp. coarsely crushed coriander seeds or 1/2 tsp. coriander powder

• 1/2 tsp. carom or ajwain seeds or (use cumin seeds or jeera, if you don't have carom seeds, but carom taste better)

• Oil for deep frying

• Instead of adding all these spices individually, you can use Pakora Masala mix.

Instructions

1. Place leaves in a bowl and sprinkle salt and spices. Leave for 30 minutes or so. This will draw out water from the vegetables.

2. Add sifted (sift to remove lumps) chickpea flour/besan slowly and make a slightly stiff mix of vegetables and besan, vegetables held/bound together with besan. Usually, no additional water is required, as there is enough water released from vegetables. If the mix is stiff too, sprinkle a little water at a time as you mix.

3. Heat oil in a wok. The oil is correct temperature, when a test pakora dropped in it sizzles and rises to the top of the oil quickly. The oil should not be smoking hot. Pakoras are crisper, when cooked in medium hot oil.

4. Drop small blobs, about 1- 1 1/2 tsp., of this mix into the hot oil, gently. Wait until they sizzle to the surface and then turn them over frequently, until evenly golden brown and crisp on all sides.

5. Take out on an absorbent kitchen paper.

6. Serve immediately with Green Mango Chutney and Tomato Ketchup.

7. Also see Chat Selection.

Notes

• To get pakoras really crisp, they should be fried once and then again, just before serving.