Palak Pakoras/Shredded Spinach & Besan Dumplings

What's better than a hot plate of pakoras and some masala chai on a rainy day? Nothing, I would say. I hardly ever make deep fried snacks or meal but this one particular rainy day, I craved for them so much that I actually went out in the rain, got some fresh spinach (palak), gram flour (besan) and coconut oil to make this lovely and crunchy snack.

What I Used:

Spinach/Palak - 1 cup, chopped

Gram flour/Besan - 1/2 cup and a bit more

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Asafoetida/Hing - one pinch

Jeera powder - 1 tsp

Oil (I used coconut oil) - enough to deep fry the pakoras

How I Made It:

1. Mix the besan with the chilli powder, hing, jeera powder and sufficient salt.

2. Add the chopped spinach and just enough water to make a thick paste. The consistency should be such that you should be able to make rough round balls with the dough.

3. Heat oil in a pan till hot. Make small dumplings of the batter and drop into the hoil. Adjust the heat so that the oil doesn't boil over too much.

4. Turn the pakoras over when one side is done.

5. Fry till nice and brown and tranfer onto a plate lined with tissues.

6. Serve hot with tomato ketchup/mango pickle and hot masala chai.

Notes:

- Keep adjusting the heat of the oil so that the pakoras don't burn.

- Keep the size of the pakoras small, otherwise the inside won't cook properly.