I don’t know all that much about Indian cooking, pretty much nothing other than I like eating it. Way back when, I lived right around the corner from Darbar, an Indian restaurant with an awesome lunch buffet near downtown Palo Alto. One of my favorite items there is the pakoda – a crispy, fried Indian fritter. I’ll fill up my plate and then go back for more. Eating out is really the only time I’ll indulge in fried food, I don’t do fried at home.
So when I saw Mung Dal Fritters – Baked Moong Dal Pakoda on Vegan Richa’s blog, I knew immediately it was a must try. Baked instead of fried. Plus, I already have all the ingredients on hand for the chickpea flour version of the recipe. Including a huge container of spinach from Costco to use up.
Not a 100% sure they came out right, they seem kinda flat looking (see the above photo). But the taste, oh my! They’re spicy and gingery and curry-tasting. The texture seems about right but what do I know?
I’ve since made the pakoda again (see the very top photo), several times now. The last couple of times with kale instead of spinach and just 1 extra tablespoon of water to the chickpea flour batter and they’re much better than my first attempt. So good and so easy to make now that I got a handle on it. I’ve yet to try the main recipe with the soaked and blended petite yellow lentils; the chickpea flour version skips the soaking part.
For more of Richa’s amazing vegan Indian recipes check out her blog or cookbook Vegan Richa’s Indian Kitchen. Also coming out in September, a new cookbook with her unique take on vegan comfort foods from around the world, Vegan Richa’s Everyday Kitchen. Can’t wait for that.
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Well those look and sound delicious. When it comes to fritter type foods made with chickpea flour, I’m all in. And gingery did you say? I don’t have a bucket of spinach from Costco to use up, but I do have a ridiculous amount of ginger from there. I tried so hard to resist it but … what can I say? This looks like a perfect recipe to use some up. I can make them in the air fryer!
I didn’t know Costco had ginger, I’ll have to look for it next time I’m there. Curious to see how the pakoda turn out in the air fryer. :-)
It’s a LOT of ginger. Organic, too.
Fabulous! I try to avoid frying foods at home simply due to the mess and smell, but I do miss the taste. I don’t think these would lack anything for the lack of splattering oil!
You really do have a knack for recipes that I really want to eat. Fritters are so reliably good, and I’m going to do some experimenting with lentilly fritters. I like the idea of baking – I don’t really go for frying, because I never know what to do with all the oil afterwards. Baking is much more my style!