Imagine succulent pieces of chicken, marinated in a beautifully aromatic blend of spices, coated in the most gloriously golden, crispy batter. Simply delicious…
For the pakoras:
15g fresh ginger, peeled and minced/ finely grated
2 garlic cloves, minced/finely grated
1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp garam masala
1 small lime, zest and juice
300g chicken breasts, cut into approx 12 strips/ chunks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
70g gram (chickpea) flour
60ml cold sparkling water
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
For the mint and coriander chutney: (optional)
100g fresh mint, tough stalks removed
100g fresh coriander, leaves and stalks - are these included or removed?
1 clove of garlic
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp caster sugar
1/2 tsp salt
80g fresh shredded coconut (buy frozen) (optional)
1 green chilli, stalk removed (optional)
To serve:
Yoghurt
Cucumber
Fresh herbs
Lime
Serving suggestions: I love serving these Chicken Pakoras with the homemade mint and coriander, a dollop of cooling yoghurt (crème fraîche or sour cream would also work but are a little richer), refreshing cucumber, fresh herbs (mint, coriander, parsley and/or chives are all good options) and wedges of zesty lime. Delicious! If you don’t want to make your own mint and coriander chutney, a fruity mango chutney, sweet chilli sauce or fresh tomato salsa also works really well.
Make ahead: you can pop the chicken in the marinade the night before and cook the next day if you want to prep ahead.
Overcrowding: it is really important not to overcrowd the pan when frying or else the temperature could drop leaving you with oily, greasy Chicken Pakoray or the pakoray could stick together - neither of which are what we are going for!
Find it online: https://desertislanddishes.co/chicken-pakoray/