Beer batter pakoras
Cook with beer this weekend. IPAs are hoppy beers with fruity, floral notes. They work well with strong flavours such as chilli, and their high carbonation gives a lightness to this batter
Ingredients
- 200g gram (chickpea) flour
- 25g plain flour
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ¼ tsp chilli powder
- ½ tbsp garam masala
- 200ml IPA beer
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- finely grated to make 1 tbsp ginger
- 2 (about 250g) floury potatoes (such as Maris Piper), peeled and cut into ½cm dice
- 1 large onion, sliced
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ½ lemon, juiced
- for deep-frying vegetable oil
GREEN CORIANDER DIP
- a large bunch coriander, roughly chopped
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1 green chilli, deseeded and chopped
- 1 lemon, juiced
Directions
- STEP 1
Put all the dip ingredients, except a small handful of the chopped coriander, into a small food processor with 5 tbsp water and whizz to a spoonable sauce. Season with a pinch of salt and sugar.
- STEP 2
Mix the flours, salt and spices in a large bowl. Slowly pour in the beer, whisking until you get a smooth, thick batter. Stir in the garlic, ginger, potatoes and onions. Fold everything together well – the batter should coat the veg but fall off a spoon easily. Add the reserved coriander, baking powder, lemon juice and some black pepper.
- STEP 3
Fill a pan no more than 1/3 full with the oil and heat until 180C or until a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds. Use a dessertspoon to lower portions of the veg and batter into the oil. Fry batches of 3-4 at a time for 5-6 minutes, turning halfway, until deep golden. Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm in a low oven while you fry the rest. Serve with the dipping sauce.