Palak Pakora Recipe (Spinach Fritters)
Make these crispy Palak Pakora (Palak Pakoda, Spinach Fritters) using my easy recipe and serve them with green chutney and masala chai for a delicious treat.
I love making a variety of pakoras at home. Here are some of my favorites – Aloo Pakora, Paneer Pakora, Cabbage Pakoda, Chicken Pakora, and Punjabi Bread Pakora.
When I moved to Bangalore 20 years ago, it used to rain every evening. Every evening was the perfect weather to indulge in crispy hot pakoras and a kadak cup of masala chai. It was a great incentive to learn to make a variety of pakoras, and I actually did that.
Mohit and I would sit in our little balcony that overlooked coconut groves and enjoy the rain and the pakoras. I made aloo and onion pakora frequently, but occasionally, I also made these amazing Palak Pakora.
Now, making pakora is quite an easy process. It also requires some very basic ingredients, but getting the right texture is not that straightforward. It requires a perfect ratio of different ingredients, and the temperature of the oil also plays a big part in how they turn out.
In this post, I have tried to write all the small details you must keep in mind to make the perfect palak pakoda.
About Palak Pakora
Palak Pakora (Palak Pakoda, Spinach Fritters) is a deep-fried Indian snack, where whole spinach leaves are coated with a spiced gram flour batter and then fried until golden and crispy.
It is a perfect snack to munch on a rainy day or during a chilly winter afternoon. Serve them with a steaming cup of masala chai and green chutney. I also like to serve tomato ketchup or Maggi hot and sweet sauce with these.
Pro Tips By Neha
If your palak leaves look slightly wilted and you still want to use them to make pakoras, then soak them in ice-cold water for 10 minutes. They will become stiff and fresh once again.
Wipe the spinach leaves after washing them. It will make sure the pakoda is crispy.
Correct measurement of ingredients is key in this recipe. I use standard cup and spoon measurements to measure my ingredients.
The consistency of the batter is also very important to get perfectly crispy pakora. If the batter is too thick, the pakora will not turn out crispy; if it is too thin, it will not stick to the spinach leaves.
To check if the consistency of the batter is right, dip the back of a spoon into the batter. Then run a finger over the back of the spoon. If the batter holds its shape, then the consistency is right.
The pakora batter doesn’t need to rest. So you can actually start the recipe by heating the oil. By the time the oil heats up, you can prepare the batter and then immediately start to fry the pakoras.
Sprinkle chaat masala as soon as the palak pakora are out of the oil. It will stick to them immediately.
Add just a small pinch of baking soda. If the quantity is higher, the pakora will turn out oily.
Ingredients
Spinach (Palak) – Use fresh, green, and crisp spinach leaves to make the best pakoras. Avoid the wilted leaves with black patches on them.
I try to use leaves that are similar in size, as they look good, but any size will do.
For The Batter – You will need besan (chickpea flour, gram flour), rice flour, red chili powder, turmeric powder, ginger paste, cilantro (fresh coriander leaves), green chilies, baking soda, lime juice, and salt to make the pakora batter.
Rice flour is optional, but it gives the pakoras a crispy texture.
You can also add some carom seeds (ajwain) to the palak pakora batter. It will not only give it a nice taste but also help in digestion.
Oil – Use any neutral-flavored cooking oil to deep fry the pakoras.
Chaat Masala Powder – Sprinkle some Chaat Masala Powder on top to give the crisp pakoras a tangy taste.
How To Make Palak Pakoda
Make The Batter
Rinse 14-15 spinach leaves and discard their stem. Now, wipe each leaf with a paper towel or a kitchen cloth to remove any moisture on it. It is an important step to get crispy pakora.
Then add the following ingredients to a bowl. Mix well using your clean fingers or a wire whisk.
- ¾ cup chickpea flour
- 2 tablespoon rice flour
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 2 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped green chili
- 1 small pinch of baking soda
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
Then add water and mix well to make a thick, flowy batter. Add the water slowly and in batches; otherwise, the batter may become very thin.
Note – I added ¼ cup of water and mixed everything well. Then I added a few more tablespoons to get the perfect consistency.
Fry The Pakora
Now, heat 3-4 cups of oil to fry the pakora in a pan over medium-high heat.
Once the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium.
Coat a spinach leaf with the batter on both sides and drop it in the hot oil. Drop 5-6 pakoras in the pan at a time.
Flip the pakora using the tongs once golden brown on the bottom side.
Fry until they are browned and crispy from the other side as well. It will take 3-4 minutes to fry each batch.
Drain on a plate lined with paper towels to eliminate the extra oil.
Sprinkle chaat masala powder as soon as the pakoras are out of oil.
Fry all the pakoras in the same manner. Heat the oil well before adding the next set.
Do not overcrowd the pan while frying the pakora.
Serve hot with yogurt mint dip or coriander mint chutney.
Frequently Asked Questions
Rinse the spinach leaves and finely chop them. Mix the chopped leaves with gram flour, spice powders, onion, ginger, green chilies, and coriander. Add a little water and mix to make a batter. Then, drop small pakoras into the hot oil and deep fry them until crisp. You can also use these pakoras in kadhi to make a palak pakoda kadhi.
Yes, you can. Arrange the batter-coated spinach leaves on the tray of the air fryer in a single layer. Spray with oil and air fry at 180 °C (360°F) for 4 minutes. Now flip the pakoras and air fry for another 3-4 minutes or untl the pakoras are crispy.
It is best to serve palak pakoda immediately after frying.
But, if you have leftover pakora, you can reheat them in an air fryer or oven at 400°F (200°C) for 3-4 minutes, or until they are heated through and slightly crispy. Keep in mind that the reheated pakoras will not be as crispy as the freshly made ones. Do not reheat them in the microwave as they may become soggy.
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Palak Pakora Recipe (Palak Pakoda, Spinach Fritters)
Ingredients
- 14-15 spinach leaves (palak)
- ¾ cup chickpea flour (besan, gram flour)
- 2 tablespoons rice flour
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (fresh coriander leaves)
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped green chili
- 1 small pinch baking soda
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- oil (for frying)
- 1 tablespoon chaat masala powder
Instructions
- Rinse the spinach leaves and discard their stem. Now, wipe each leaf with a paper towel or a kitchen cloth.
- Add besan, rice flour, red chili powder, turmeric powder, ginger paste, fresh coriander, green chili, baking soda, lime juice, and salt to a bowl. Mix well.
- Add water and make a thick, flowy batter.
- Note – I added ¼ cup water and mixed everything well. Then I added a few more tablesoons to get the perfect consistency.
- Note – The consistency of the batter is very important to get a perfectly crispy pakora. If it is too thick, the pakora will not turn out crispy; if it is too thin, it will not stick to the spinach leaves.
- Heat 3-4 cups of oil for frying the pakora in a pan over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium.
- Coat a spinach leaf with the batter and drop it in the hot oil. Drop 5-6 pakoras in the pan at a time.
- Flip the pakora using the tongs once they are golden brown from the bottom.
- Fry until they are browned and crispy from the other side as well.
- Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Sprinkle chaat masala powder as soon as the pakoras are out of oil.
- Fry all the pakora in the same manner. Heat the oil well before dropping the next set of pakoras. It will take 3-4 minutes to fry each batch.
- Do not overcrowd the pan while frying the pakora.
- Serve hot with yogurt mint dip or coriander mint chutney.
It looks so tasty!
Thnx Pamela 🙂