Chicken pakora
Glasgow's favourite starter: spiced chicken in a crisp gram flour batter, with a sweet chilli or spicy yoghurt dip on the side.
- Serves4
- Prep20 min
- Marinate30 min
- Cook20 min
- HeatWarm
Every Glasgow takeaway has its own pakora, and now you can make yours. Thigh stays juicier than breast, and a hot, clean pan of oil keeps the batter crisp.
Ingredients
- For the batter
- For the dip
Ask at the counter for500g boneless chicken thigh or breast, in bite-sized strips
Method
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Mix the chicken with the ginger, garlic, salt and lemon juice and leave for 30 minutes.
Whisk the batter ingredients with about 150ml of cold water to a thick batter that coats a spoon. Stir in the chicken.
Heat the oil in a deep, heavy pan to 180°C, or until a drop of batter rises and sizzles straight away. Never fill the pan more than a third full.
Fry the pakora in small batches for 5 to 6 minutes, turning, until deep golden and the chicken is cooked through. Drain on kitchen paper.
Serve hot with the dip and lemon wedges.
Tips
- Don't crowd the pan: the oil cools and the batter goes soggy.
- Mushroom, onion or potato slices in the same batter make vegetable pakora.
Good to know
- Heat
- Warm. Add green chillies at the table if you like it hotter.