Credits
Recipe adapted from Flavour of Desi Food and Kun Foods.
Ingredients
| amount | ingredient |
|---|---|
| 500g | chicken breast, bite-sized pieces |
| 1 T | lemon juice |
| 1½ tsp | cayenne pepper |
| 1½ tsp | Kashmiri chili powder / paprika |
| 1½ tsp | chaat masala |
| 1 tsp | cumin seeds |
| 1 tsp | coriander seeds |
| 1 tsp | salt |
| ½ tsp | black pepper |
| 2 T | cilantro, chopped |
| 1 T | oil |
| 1 tsp | ginger garlic paste |
| ½ tsp | green chilies |
| as needed | yogurt |
| as needed | gram flour (besan) |
| as needed | oil for frying |
Process
First, prep the ingredients which require it. I like to go in such an order that the meat is last so I’m not stuck chopping veggies on a nasty board or having to wash in between.
- crush cumin and coriander seeds in a mortar & pestle
- you can use a mini food processor, spice grinder, or a small, sturdy glass and the hilt of your knife (carefully)…use whatever you have on hand
- no need to crush to a fine powder; some texture is good
- chop cilantro
- mince chilies or blitz in a processor (it’s handy to have this already in the freezer)
- cut chicken into bite-sized pieces
Add all the ingredients except the besan to the chicken and mix thoroughly so that all the chicken pieces are evenly coated. Cover and let marinate in the fridge for ~1 hour.
Remove chicken from fridge and add enough gram flour (besan) to the mix to make a thin coating on the chicken. You don’t want it too thick either in consistency or coating. Adjust yogurt and besan amounts to achieve this result. You can thin the mixture with the liquidy parts of the yogurt, milk, or water.
Fry a couple pakoray and taste for seasoning; if all is good, fry the rest of the chicken in batches.
Notes
My pakoray ended up getting a bit burnt on the outside in some places…I suspect this may have to do with the Kashmiri chili / paprika, so feel free to leave that out. It’s just in there for “color” anyway, and probably not really doing any favors.
- don’t be scared of the spices but also, if you don’t have a couple, you can leave them out
- marination time is an ideal, not a requirement
- use water to wet the batter instead of yogurt if you don’t have it; traditional pakoray batter is made with water, the yogurt just helps to tenderize the meat
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