Kachalou Pakora
Kabul's tea-time fritter: thin potato slices dipped in chickpea-flour batter spiked with turmeric, chilli and ajwain, deep-fried golden.
Overview
Kachalou pakora are Afghan-style battered potato slices, fried crisp and dusted with chaat masala while they are still hot from the oil. The batter is chickpea flour (besan) with a touch of rice flour for crispness, water, salt, turmeric, ground coriander, chilli powder, ajwain seeds, crushed garlic and a pinch of baking soda. Ten minutes to rest so the chickpea flour hydrates and the batter clings properly. Potatoes slice into 3 mm rounds and salt briefly to draw out a little moisture. Each slice dips in the batter, lifts with chopsticks, drops into oil at 175°C, fries three minutes a side until amber. Drained, dusted with chaat masala, served with a quick mint-and-coriander chutney. Eat hot. Cold pakora are a different food entirely, and not in a good way.
Ingredients
Batter
- 150 g chickpea flour (besan / gram flour)
- 50 g rice flour (for crisp; or substitute extra besan)
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon ajwain seeds (carom - sold at Indian shops)
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 3 garlic cloves (crushed to a paste)
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 250-280 ml cold water
Potatoes
- 4 waxy potatoes (medium, about 700 g - peeled and sliced into 3 mm rounds)
- 1 teaspoon salt (for prepping)
For frying
- 1 litre vegetable oil (or sunflower oil)
Quick green chutney (or use ready-made)
- 1 large bunch coriander (about 40 g)
- 1 small bunch mint (about 15 g)
- 2 green chillies (deseeded)
- 1 lime (juice)
- 1 teaspoon caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt (optional, for a creamier chutney)
To finish
- 1 teaspoon Chaat Masala (sold at Indian shops)
- Lime wedges
Method
Stage 1 - Batter
- In a wide bowl, whisk besan, rice flour, salt, turmeric, chilli, ajwain, coriander, cumin, baking soda and garlic.
- Slowly pour in cold water, whisking smoothly to a thick pourable batter - like double cream.
- Rest 10 minutes.
Stage 2 - Potatoes
- Slice potatoes thinly (3 mm); place in a colander, toss with 1 teaspoon salt; rest 10 minutes.
- Rinse; pat thoroughly dry on a tea towel.
Stage 3 - Chutney
- Blitz coriander, mint, chilli, lime juice, sugar, salt and (if using) yogurt in a small blender or food processor.
- Taste; adjust salt / lime.
Stage 4 - Heat the oil
- Heat oil in a deep pot to 175°C.
Stage 5 - Fry
- Drop a potato slice into the batter; lift with chopsticks; let excess drip.
- Carefully lower into the oil.
- Fry 3-4 slices at a time, 2-3 minutes per side, until amber gold.
- Lift onto kitchen paper.
- Sprinkle with a pinch of chaat masala while hot.
Stage 6 - Serve
- Pile pakoras on a plate.
- Lime wedges, green chutney in a small bowl.
- Eat hot, with chai or salty lassi.
Notes
- Ajwain is the Afghan/South-Asian signature: Tiny seed with a thyme-like, slightly oregano-medicinal aroma. Use sparingly; a teaspoon perfumes the whole batter. Substitute thyme + a pinch of cumin if unavailable.
- Thin slices, dry potatoes: Wet potato won't crisp; thick slices stay raw inside. 3 mm rounds, well-patted, are the spec.
- Rest the batter: Lets the chickpea flour fully hydrate; gives a smooth coating that doesn't crack on the fry.
Storage
- Best within 30 minutes.
- Cooked: refrigerate 1 day; re-crisp at 200°C oven 5 minutes (microwave makes them soggy).
- Batter keeps refrigerated 24 hours.
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