Paneer Pakora Recipe Paneer Pakoda Whiskaffair

on Jan 30, 2024, Updated Oct 17, 2024 I love making pakoras for snacks and have tried many many variations of them. Here are some that I love the most – Aloo Pakora, 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.

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. 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. Carom seeds not only add to the flavor but they also help in digestion, so adding them is highly recommended. 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. Now cut the paneer into small cubes or rectangles (1-inch). Keep the size of the pieces the same so that they fry evenly.

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

Now let the batter rest on your kitchen counter for 10 minutes. 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. 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. Instead of cutting the paneer into rectangles, you can cut it in different shapes to make the pakoras look different. Once for valentines day, I cut it into heart shape. To make a healthy version of paneer pakoda, you can either bake or air fry the coated paneer. But honestly, the deep-fried ones taste the best! 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.