Pakora

Ingredients

• 100 g carrots
• 100 g cabbage
• 100 g zucchini
• A handful of baby spinach, coarsely chopped
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• 100 g chickpea (gram) flour
• 4 Tbsp rice flour (or more chickpea flour)
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp nigella seeds
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp garam masala
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp freshly ground cardamom
• 4 Tbsp water (or olive oil for the baked version)

Steps

1. Grate the cabbage, carrot and zucchini and place in a bowl with the salt.
2. Knead and squeeze the vegetables for a minute or two until they release their liquid, then add the spinach.
3. Stir together the chickpea flour, rice flour, baking powder and all the spices in a small bowl.
4. Add the flour mixture to the vegetables along with the water (use oil for the baked version). Mix until everything is coated; the consistency should be like a dry muffin batter. Add a little extra water or oil if needed.
5. Fried: fill a small frying pan with high edges with a heat-proof oil and heat over medium. Add large tablespoons of batter and fry 1-2 min per side until golden and crispy. Drain on kitchen paper.
6. Baked: preheat the oven to 225 °C. Drop 12 large tablespoons of batter onto a lined tray, sprinkle with nigella seeds and bake for 18-20 min, until golden and crispy.