Monsoon munchies

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As the first drops of rain kiss the earth and fill the air with a heady, earthy aroma, it’s a perfect time to dig into spicy, piping hot pakoras with masala chai. So forget the calorie count and indulge in a pakora fest treat this monsoon. Pakora aficionados in the city experiment this season and share recipes of savory fritters made with chickpea flour

batter. Homemaker Anuradha Vohra uses leftover rice to make pakoras. “We often use leftover rice in our evening snack. Rice pakoras are the easiest to make. All you need is a cup of cooked rice. Sprinkle a little water on it and microwave it for a couple of minutes. After it cools down, add yogurt and keep aside for 30 minutes. In a separate bowl, add jeera, salt, one cup besan and one spoon of baking powder. You can add chillies and onions as per your taste and add half a cup of fine rava. When this mixture is ready, blend it with rice and make small balls and deep fry,” says Anuradha.
And if you love the summer special jackfruit, how about giving it a different twist? With the crispy cover (made with the batter) and soft tender jackfruit inside, the jackfruit pakora just melts in your mouth. Sharing her recipe of jackfruit pakoras, Asha Dhingra, a government employee, shares, “Making these can be a tedious task as you first need to remove the seeds of jackfruit properly which takes time. Then mix gram flour, chilli powder, turmeric, coriander powder, amchur and salt in a bowl. Add water as required and a few drops of oil. Mix these ingredients and form a paste. Take a kadai or pan and add oil. Now dip jackfruit in the batter and deep fry until crisp and golden brown. Serve them hot with tomato ketchup.”
It’s important to note that the batter should always be of medium consistency. Don’t make it too thin else the fritters won’t turn out well.
And if you love tofu, here’s what you must not miss. Chef Pankaj gives us his recipe of Silken Tofu pakoras (as he calls them). “Cut tofu into cubes and coat with flour. Deep fry tofu chunks until golden brown and then sprinkle with crushed Sichuan pepper and salt. You can garnish it with spring onion leaves. When you use the flour here, make sure you use a mix of plain flour and cornflour in the ratio of 1:1,” says Pankaj.
This one is best enjoyed with a dipping sauce which can be a combination of soya sauce and toasted sesame oil with finely sliced spring onion greens and crushed pepper.

Ice-cream pakora
Ingredients
Ice-cream (4 scoops)
Cornflakes (two to three cups)
Vegetable oil
1 egg
Cinnamon sugar

Preparation
On a plate spread out about half the quantity of cornflakes and roll each of the four scoops of ice-cream in the cornflakes until they are well coated.
Transfer the coated ice-cream scoops onto a plate and freeze for two hours. Whisk egg in a bowl, spread the remaining cornflakes on your cornflake plate and take your ice-cream scoops out of the freezer. Gently transfer a single scoop to the egg bowl, coat the scoop in egg by turning it around. Transfer the egg-coated ice-cream scoop to the cornflakes plate and roll it around to form a second layer of cornflakes over the ice-cream. Roll it around well to ensure a solid coating of cornflakes. Repeat with the remaining three scoops and then return the ice-cream balls to the freezer for at least another two hours before frying.
When ready to serve, put vegetable oil in a deep pan. Once pre-heated, gently drop a single coated ice cream scoop in the oil and let it fry for about 30 seconds. Roll it in cinnamon sugar and transfer to a dessert plate for serving. Top with a little whipped cream and enjoy.