Beer batter pakoras

From: Olive

Cook with beer this weekend. IPAs are hoppy beers with fruity, floral notes. They work well with strong flavours such as chilli, and their high carbonation gives a lightness to this batter.


Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: serves 6 as a snack

Ingredients

• gram (chickpea) flour 200g
• plain flour 25g
• fine salt 1 tsp
• ground cumin 1 tsp
• ground coriander 1 tsp
• chilli powder ¼ tsp
• garam masala ½ tbsp
• IPA beer 200ml
• garlic 1 clove, crushed
• ginger finely grated to make 1 tbsp
• floury potatoes (such as Maris Piper) 2 (about 250g), peeled and cut into ½cm dice
• onion 1 large, sliced
• baking powder ¼ tsp
• lemon ½, juiced
• vegetable oil for deep-frying

GREEN CORIANDER DIP

• coriander a large bunch, roughly chopped
• shallot 1, finely chopped
• green chilli 1, deseeded and chopped
• lemon 1, juiced

Method

Step 1

Put all the dip ingredients, except a small handful of the chopped coriander, into a small food processor with 5 tbsp water and whizz to a spoonable sauce. Season with a pinch of salt and sugar.

Step 2

Mix the flours, salt and spices in a large bowl. Slowly pour in the beer, whisking until you get a smooth, thick batter. Stir in the garlic, ginger, potatoes and onions. Fold everything together well – the batter should coat the veg but fall off a spoon easily. Add the reserved coriander, baking powder, lemon juice and some black pepper.

Step 3

Fill a pan no more than 1/3 full with the oil and heat until 180C or until a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds. Use a dessertspoon to lower portions of the veg and batter into the oil. Fry batches of 3-4 at a time for 5-6 minutes, turning halfway, until deep golden. Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm in a low oven while you fry the rest. Serve with the dipping sauce.