Broccoli Pakora (Baked or Air Fried)
These simple and flavorful vegan broccoli pakora (spiced chickpea flour fritters) use just a handful of ingredients and are easy to make. They can be baked or air-fried instead of fried, and are ready in under 30 minutes, for a tasty appetizer, snack, or side!
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 72kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup of chickpea flour
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- 1 teaspoon of turmeric
- pinch cayenne pepper
- ¾ -1 cup of water (as needed, add water slowly)
- 1 cup of thinly sliced yellow onion
- 1 cup of finely chopped broccoli
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees, lightly oil baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of high heat oil. (Or use parchment paper and no oil.)
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine chickpea flour with salt and spices and stir well. Add water slowly, only adding as much as you need to form a thick pancake batter, and whisk together until no lumps remain.
- Add thinly sliced onion and chopped broccoli to the batter and stir to incorporate.
- Spoon large dollops onto the baking sheet, spaced about 1-2" apart.
- Bake for 7-8 minutes on each side, flipping when bottoms of fritters have turned brown and crisped up.
- Serve with condiment of choice, alone, or over rice.
Notes
- Slice veggies to even sizes: This will ensure that they cook evenly. It’s best to make long, thin slices (around 2-inches long) from your veggies of choice. For certain veggies like cabbage, just shred them.
- Use quick-cooking veggies: When making mixed vegetable pakoras, make sure to use vegetables that will all cook at similar times and within the baking time provided. Only use grated potatoes as chopped may not cook in time.
- Don’t add too much water: All you need is enough for a thick pancake batter that’s ‘almost-runny’ but not. As the vegetable fritters cook, the vegetables will release more liquid. So they could turn out soggy if made with too much liquid.
- If you’re using wet veggies: You may find you don't need any water at all. Add all the veggies to the spiced chickpea flour mixture. Then squeeze with your hands to combine and form a kind of batter. If it looks like it needs it, add extra water, one tablespoon at a time.
- To make chickpea flour: You can grind dried chickpeas (about 1 ½ cups) into a floury consistency in a high-speed blender or spice grinder. Then sift and re-blend any remaining large chunks. Finally, measure out one cup (there may be a little extra).
Nutrition
Calories: 72kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 161mg | Potassium: 203mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 81IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg
