Name: Courgette pakoras
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: Makes 12-15
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 2 medium courgettes (about 500g), grated; 1 red onion grated; 175g gram (chickpea) flour; 1 red chilli finely chopped; 1 tsp ground coriander; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp ginger; ½ small bunch of coriander finely chopped; sunflower oil for deep-frying; coriander, tamarind or mango chutney to serve (optional)

Courgette pakoras

Make these moreish deep fried courgette pakoras as a vegan snack or starter. Gently spiced, enjoy with your favourite mango or tamarind chutney

30 min total 10 min prep 20 min cook Makes 12-15 84 cal

Instructions

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1 Put all the ingredients, except the oil, in a bowl with ½ tsp salt, and squidge it all together using your hands. The moisture from the courgettes should help bind everything together; you want a sticky but not overly wet mixture.
2 Fill a heavy-based saucepan no more than a third full with oil and set over a medium heat until the oil reaches 180C. If you don’t have a cooking thermometer, test it’s ready by dropping in a pinch of the pakora mixture. It should sizzle and turn golden brown after 10-20 seconds.
3 Carefully drop tablespoons of the mixture into the oil, using another tablespoon to help you slide them in. Fry for about 2 mins before turning and cooking for a further 2-3 mins until golden brown, crisp and cooked through. Continue frying in batches until all the mixture has been used up.
4 Leave to drain on kitchen paper. You can keep the cooked pakoras warm in a low oven while you make the rest. Serve immediately with your favourite chutney, if you like.