Pumpkin Pakoras

Golden Pumpkin Pakoras coated with chickpea flour, garam masala, chili powder, ground turmeric, and cumin seeds. They are crispy crunchy and gluten free.

Fall is going by very quickly and winter will soon be upon us. In fact, we had some snow on Monday. It felt very cold as is usually the case with the first snow fall of the season. Fortunately, it did not stay around for too long and melted right off. I don’t think I am quite ready for snow yet. Usually after Thanksgiving when all the Christmas decorations are out, I will come round to it and brace myself for the brutal cold here in Minnesota. For now, I still want to hang on to fall and and enjoy some Pumpkin Pakoras. 🙂

Yes, it is time again for another round of Nona-Nona with Denise of Singapore Shiok!. The theme this month is PUMKPKIN, chosen by me. It is the season for pumpkins and we should most definitely do pumpkins. I blurted it out to Denise without giving it much thought. Only after I have had time to think about it did I realize that back in Malaysia, pumpkin was not something that people cook a lot of. In fact, I know of only one Chinese dish that uses pumpkin. It is braised pumpkin with dried shrimp. Oh my…I am stuck!

Should I cook that dish or should I ask Denise to allow me to change the theme? I mulled over it for several days and then decided I should stick with the theme out of fairness to Denise. Since the family is not too keen on braised pumpkin, I would end up eating it all by myself. Wow…one person eating two and a half pounds of pumpkin is no small feat! I had to think of something else. I think Pumpkin Pakoras or fritters would work. Surely no one will object to fritters. Though I am not big into deep frying at home, this will have to be one of those exceptions.

Pumpkin Pakoras

Pakoras are small savory deep fried snacks typically consisting of vegetables coated in a batter made from besan or chickpea flour. The vegetables commonly used are potatoes, onions, cauliflower, broccoli, and spinach. The batter is prepared by blending chickpea flour with water. Spices may be added to enhance its flavor.

In this version, I added garam masala, chili powder, ground turmeric, and cumin seeds which made the batter really fragrant. I also mixed in some rice flour to give the Pumpkin Pakoras a crunchier texture. I really like this batter as it is egg-free and gluten-free and everyone in the family can enjoy them without reservations.

Giveaway

One of the fun and also nail-biting part of Nona-Nona is that apart from the theme, neither Denise nor I reveal to each other what we are preparing. Since we both come from very similar cultural backgrounds, there is always the possibility of us preparing a similar dish. Last month the theme was peanuts and guess what? We both came up with BOILED PEANUTS!! Hopefully this time, Denise has other plans… Let’s hop over to Singapore Shiok to see what is cooking in her kitchen.

Before we move on to the recipe, here is a quick reminder that the giveaway for Denise’s latest cookbook is still open. You can win a copy of this handy cookbook by just posting a comment and letting me know where you are from by clicking HERE. This giveaway is open to everyone worldwide until 9:00pm US Central Standard Time, Sunday, November 18th, 2012.

Similar Tools Used in Making These Pumpkin Pakoras

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• Winco UT-9 Coiled Spring Heavyweight Stainless Steel Utility Tong, 9-Inch
• Skimmer 6″ diameter
• Pyrex Prepware 1-Cup Measuring Cup

Pumpkin Pakoras

Golden Pumpkin Pakoras coated with chickpea flour, garam masala, chili powder, ground turmeric, and cumin seeds. They are crispy crunchy and gluten free.

Author : Linda Ooi

Course : Side Dish

Cuisine : Indian

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 40 mins

Servings : 6

Calories : 230kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 cup besan / chickpea flour (130g)
• ¼ cup rice flour (30g)
• 1 tsp garam masala
• ½ tsp chili powder
• ¼ tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp cumin seeds (toasted)
• 1 tsp salt
• Vegetable oil for deep frying
• 1 small pumpkin (peeled, seeded and cut into ¼-inch thick wedges) (2½ lbs/1.3kg)

Instructions

 

• Combine besan, rice flour, garam masala, chili powder, ground turmeric, and salt in a large bowl. Pour in 1 cup (240ml) warm water and stir until a smooth batter forms. Cover and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.
• Heat up about 1-inch of oil in a deep medium sized pan.
  
• Dip individual pieces of pumpkin in batter and fry in the hot oil for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and drain on a wire strainer.
• Serve immediately with some chutney if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 230kcal

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Enjoy…..and have a wonderful day! 😎