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Carrot and herb pakoras with mango chutney
Serves 4 Starters and mains
For the chutney
- 1tsp cumin seeds
- 1⁄2tsp black mustard seeds
- 1⁄2 mango, peeled and roughly chopped (around 150g prepared weight)
- 1 green chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 2tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1tsp salt
- juice 1 lime
- 10g fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated
- leaves from 1⁄2 bunch coriander
- leaves from 1⁄2 bunch mint
For the pakoras
- flavourless vegetable oil, for deep-frying
- 3 carrots, grated
- 1 small onion, grated
- 1tsp garam masala
- 1⁄2tsp asafoetida (optional)
- leaves from 1⁄2 bunch coriander
- leaves from 1⁄2 bunch mint
- 75g gram (chickpea) flour
Method
First, make the chutney. Toast the cumin seeds and mustard seeds in a dry frying pan until incredibly fragrant and the mustard seeds start to pop. Tip into a saucepan with all the other chutney ingredients except the herbs, cover and cook over a medium heat for 15 minutes, adding a splash of water if the mango looks as though it’s catching on the pan. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then scrape everything from the pan into a food processor. Add the coriander and mint and whizz into a bright green chutney. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Heat an 8cm depth of vegetable oil in a saucepan over a medium heat (make sure the oil comes no more than one-third of the way up the pan, for safety reasons).
Meanwhile, toss the grated carrot and onion with the spices, then add the herbs and mix to combine. Sift the gram flour into the bowl, then add up to 150ml water, a little at a time, mixing as you go, to create a thick batter that coats all the vegetables.
Test to see if the oil is hot enough; if a drop of batter bubbles vigorously and rises to the surface immediately, the oil is ready. Drop spoonfuls of the pakora mixture into the hot oil, frying no more than 4 at a time, and use a slotted spoon to turn them after 2 minutes of cooking. Cook for a further minute on the other side, then lift the pakoras out with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Repeat to cook all the pakoras.
While the pakoras are cooling,
sprinkle over some sea salt flakes.
If you want to keep them warm
for a while before serving without
them going soggy, keep them in a
low oven with the door slightly ajar.
Serve the pakoras with the chutney on the side.
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