Side Challenge Continues - Indian Feast Part 1 - Spicy Vegetable Fritters and Cilantro Chutney

I so enjoyed trying out new recipes in the side challenge (as I continue to avoid making desserts until June, which has drastically cut my dessert consumption) that I decided go through the rest of my cookbooks in a similar manner. Next up is Madhur Jaffrey's Step-By-Step Cooking, which I previously had salivated over the pages and marked them, but never actually made any of the recipes. I'm not entirely sure why. While some of the ingredients are specialty ones, there are plenty that are readily available. I may just have been intimidated.

On our last gloomy weekend day (which has been a couple of weeks now), I spent four hours prepping, cooking and eating four out of the five recipes necessary to complete a side challenge.

Pakoras are a special favorite of mine when dining out at an Indian restaurant, so I was excited, yet trepidatious to try out the preparation on my own. I have a mild fear of hot grease, probably more due to the potential for grease spots on my clothing than to fear of burns. This was probably the most difficult and lengthy recipe to prepare (I don't know why I prepared a full recipe when it claims to serve 6 to 8 and there were only two of us). I suggest making a smaller batch, so that you don't end up frying potatoes for 1.5-2 hours like I did. They were delicious once I figured out that a longer fry time was needed.

Spice Vegetable Fritters (Pakoris)

Batter

• 1 c chickpea flour
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/4 t. ground turmeric
• 1/4 t. ground cumin
• 1/4 t. baking soda
• 1/8 t. freshly ground pepper

Filling

• 3 medium all-purpose potatoes, peeled (other vegetables such as onion rings, bell pepper quarters or cauliflower florets are also supposed to be good)
• Vegetable oil for deep-frying
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Serve with Cilantro Chutney (recipe below)

To make the batter, sift chickpea flour into a bowl. Gradually mix in 3/4 to 1 c. flour until you have a fairly thick batter - thick enough to coat the vegetables. Add the other batter ingredients and mix well.

Cut potatoes into thin rounds, 1/16 inch thick, and immerse them in a bowl of cold water.

Pour sufficient oil into a wok or other deep-frying pan to give a 2 1/2 to 3 inch depth in the middle. Place over low heat until hot but not smoking.

Take a few potato slices at a time, wipe them dry, and dip them in the batter. Now drop them into the oil in a single layer. Fry slowly for 7 to 10 minutes on each side, until they are golden brown and cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and keep hot, while cooking the rest in the same way.

Serve crisp and hot with the fresh chutney as a dip.

Fresh Cilantro and Yogurt Chutney (Hari Chutney)

• 1 packed c chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 fresh hot green chili, sliced or 1/4 t. cayenne (optional)
• 10 oz. (1 1/4 c) yogurt
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1/2 t salt, or to taste
• large pinch of freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 t roasted, ground cumin seeds

Put the chopped cilantro leaves and chili into a blender with 3 T water. Blend to a smooth paste (I had trouble with this in my blender).

In a non-metallic bowl, combine the yogurt, lemon juice, salt, pepper, cumin, and paste from the blender. Stir well to mix, then cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

While the note in the recipe says this ¨needs to be eaten on the day it is made¨, my leftover chutney still was perfect two days later with the remaining leftovers.