Pakoras

Ingredients
Chickpea flour – Also known as gram flour and besan, it is made from dried chickpeas and is a staple in Indian and Subcontinental cooking.  The flavour is nutty and it’s denser than normal flour with better nutritional qualities (lower carb and higher in protein); Fenugreek powder – A common Indian / Subcontinental spice, it oddly enough kind of smells like maple syrup. However it tastes nothing like it, and has a pungent and mysterious flavour. It’s available at stores that carry a decent range of spices. Also, of course, at Indian grocery stores! Best sub: Garam masala or a generic curry powder. (These are not the same at all, but the extra flavour will compensate); Chilli powder – This is pure ground chillies, not to be confused with US ‘chili powder’ which is a spice mix. Substitute: cayenne pepper. Feel free to reduce chilli powder if you’re concerned about spiciness. Start conservatively and cook a test pakora. Taste, and if you want more add more chilli into the batter; Turmeric powder – Adds a beautifully warm, golden colour to the pakora; cumin, coriander and fresh ginger – Staple spices / aromatics in Indian cooking; Fresh chilli – For their fruity flavour and a little warmth. I’m using large cayenne peppers here which are not that spicy, but rather add a warm hum to the pakoras. Generally the rule is the larger the chilli, the less spicy they are. Feel free to omit or reduce to your taste; Potatoes – Any all-rounder or starchy potatoes work. AU: Sebago, US: russet, UK: King Edward or Maris Piper. Waxy potatoes will work ok too for this recipe; Onion – These add great sweet, savoury flavour to the fritters so I really do recommend keeping onions in; Cauliflower – When finely chopped as called for in this recipe, it adds lovely texture to fritters as well as acting like a sponge that absorbs the spices in the pakora batter; and coriander/cilantro – For a nice hint of freshness and colour in the pakoras. However, in this recipe, it is not a key flavour so it can be omitted or substituted with finely chopped green onions, parsley or chives.