Paneer Pakora
Make this delicious Paneer Pakora using my easy recipe. They are crispy from the outside and soft from the inside.
I love making pakoras for snacks and have tried many many variations of them. Here are some that I love the most – Aloo Pakora, Cabbage Pakoda, Chicken Pakora, Moong Dal Pakoda, and Onion Pakoda.
About Paneer Pakora
Paneer Pakora is a popular Indian snack made by coating soft paneer (Indian cottage cheese) pieces with a spiced gram flour batter and then deep-frying them. These paneer fritters are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
In North India, if you are vegetarian, paneer is somehow a part of your life. I have come across very few North Indian vegetarians who say that they don’t eat paneer. Many people might not like it as much, but life without paneer looks difficult.
I have mixed feelings about paneer. I like it in some forms and detest it in others. Mohit, however, loves it. He likes to eat it raw, just sprinkled with chaat masala powder or made into curries or this paneer pakora.
During our Bangalore days, I made various pakoras as the weather was always perfect for pakora and chai. This paneer pakoda recipe was also perfected during that time.
After so many trial and error, I now have a foolproof recipe that works every time and for everyone.
Ingredients
Paneer – Paneer is available in the refrigerator section of all Indian grocery stores. These days, many large supermarkets like Costco, Walmart etc also have it.
Paneer is also available in the freezer section. But do not buy the cubed frozen paneer, as the cube size is sometimes very small and not ideal for making pakoras.
For The Batter – The base of the batter to make the outer coating of paneer pakora is made using besan (gram flour, chickpea flour).
To add flavor to the pakoras, I add Kashmiri red chili powder, turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste, carom seeds (ajwain), salt, and Kasuri methi.
To make the paneer pakora extra crispy, I add a little rice flour to the batter. You can also use cornstarch in place of rice flour.
Oil – I used sunflower oil to fry these fritters but you can use any neutral-flavored cooking oil.
Chaat Masala Powder – Once the pakoras are ready to serve, sprinkle some chaat masala powder over them. It gives them a nice tangy taste. You can try my homemade Chaat Masala Powder recipe. It’s easy to make and super economical.
How To Make Paneer Pakoda
Prepare The Paneer
Rinse a 250 g paneer slab with water and wrap it in a kitchen towel. Press the slab using a weight for 10-15 minutes to remove any moisture. This step is very important to make crispy paneer pakora.
Now cut the paneer into small cubes or rectangles (1-inch). Keep the size of the pieces the same so that they fry evenly.
Make The Batter
Stir together the following ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- 1 cup chickpea flour
- 2 tablespoon rice flour
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon carom seeds
- 1 teaspoon Kasuri methi
- ½ teaspoon salt
Add water (approx ½ cup) little by little and whisk to make a thick but runny batter. The consistency of the batter is very important for making perfect pakoras. It should be slightly thick to hold and coat the paneer cubes well.
Now let the batter rest on your kitchen counter for 10 minutes.
Fry The Pakora
Take a nonstick pan and heat oil in it for frying over high heat.
Once the oil is very hot, reduce the heat to medium.
Add the paneer pieces to the batter and coat them well with the batter.
Drop a few pieces in hot oil and fry on medium flame until nicely browned and crispy 6-8 minutes). Do not overcrowd the pan; fry the pakora in batches.
Drain the pakoras using a slotted spoon on a plate lined with a kitchen towel.
Note – For extra crispy paneer pakoras, double fry them. Fry them on medium heat until lightly browned and drain on a plate. Now heat the oil again until it is very hot. Drop a few pakoras in hot oil and fry on high heat until nicely browned. The first frying cook the covering but leaves some moisture in the oil, which can hamper the crispiness. When we heat the oil once again, all the moisture evaporates, and when the pakoras are fried a second time in very hot oil, they turn out very crispy and crunchy.
Sprinkle chaat masala powder all over the pakora and serve them hot.
Pro Tips By Neha
The consistency of the chickpea flour batter is very important to make perfectly crispy crust. It should neither be too thick nor too thin. The batter should have a medium consistency which easily sticks to the paneer cubes. If the batter is too thin, it will absorb too much oil while frying and if it is too thick, it will taste doughy.
Instead of cutting the paneer into rectangles, you can cut it into different shapes to make the pakoras look different. Once, for Valentine’s Day, I cut it into a heart shape.
You can also bake or air fry the coated paneer instead of deep frying it. But honestly, the deep-fried ones taste the best!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes you can also make these pakoras by baking. Preheat your oven to 360°F (180°C). Make the besan batter as mentioned in the recipe here. Then coat the paneer cubes with the batter and arrange them on the parchment paper covered baking sheet in a single layer. Spray or brush oil on top of battered coated paneer. Bake them for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown and serve hot.
To make paneer pakoras in an air fryer, make the batter as mentioned in the recipe here. Coat the paneer pieces with the batter and arrange them in a single layer on the air fryer basket. Spray with oil.
Secure the basket and air fry the pakora at 360°F (180°C) for 10 minutes. Turn the pakora once in the middle of cooking so that they cook evenly.
Firstly, if the frying oil is not properly hot, the pakoras will soak up the oil. Secondly, if the gram flour batter is too thin, it will also soak up the oil. So make sure you get these two things right.
Variations
Chutney – Slather Green Chutney and Rajasthani Garlic Chutney between two paneer slices. Now coat with gram flour batter and deep fry.
Potato Stuffed – Stuff two paneer slices with spicy potato masala. Coat with gram flour batter and deep fry.
Tandoori – Marinate the paneer pieces with tandoori masala powder for 30 minutes. Dip them in the gram flour batter and deep fry.
Serving Suggestions
Pakora, Chai, and Chutney is a match made in heaven. I make these paneer pakora on cold rainy days or for parties and get-togethers. I serve Green Chutney and Tamarind Chutney along with these pakoras. My son loves them with ketchup. If you are a coffee person and not a tea person, then feel free to serve coffee with these.
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Paneer Pakora Recipe (Paneer Pakoda)
Ingredients
- 250 grams paneer
- 1 cup besan (chickpea flour, gram flour)
- 2 tablespoons rice flour
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
- 1 teaspoon Kasuri methi
- ½ teaspoon salt
- oil (for frying)
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala powder
Instructions
Prepare The Paneer
- Rinse the paneer slab with water and wrap it in a kitchen towel. Press the slab using a weight for 10-15 minutes to remove any moisture. This step is very important for crispy pakoras.
- Cut the paneer into small cubes or rectangles. Keep the size of the pieces the same so that they fry evenly.
Make The Batter
- Stir together chickpea flour, rice flour, chili powder, turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste, carom seeds, Kasuri methi, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Add water (approx ½ cup) little by little and whisk to make a thick but runny batter. The consistency of the batter is very important for perfect pakoras. It should be slightly thick to hold and coat the paneer cubes well.
- Let the batter rest on the counter for 10 minutes.
Fry The Pakora
- Heat oil for frying in a pan over high heat.
- Once the oil is very hot, reduce the heat to medium.
- Add the paneer pieces to the batter and coat them well.
- Drop a few pieces in hot oil and fry on medium flame until nicely browned and crispy 6-8 minutes). Do not overcrowd the pan; fry the pakora in batches.
- Drain the pakoras using a slotted spoon on a plate lined with a kitchen towel. Sprinkle chaat masala powder all over the pakora and serve them hot.
- Note – For extra crispy paneer pakora, double fry them. Fry them on medium heat until lightly browned and drain on a plate. Now heat the oil again until it is very hot. Drop a few pakoras in hot oil and fry on high heat until nicely browned. The first frying cook the covering but leaves some moisture in the oil, which can hamper the crispiness. When we heat the oil once again, all the moisture evaporates, and when the pakoras are fried a second time in very hot oil, they turn out very crispy and crunchy.
- Repeat with the remaining batch.