Red Chicken Pakora is a modern British recipe for a classic British Indian Restaurant (BIR) starter (based on a Bengali antecedent) or snack of seasoned chicken coated in a crisp, flavourful and seasoned batter. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Red Chicken Pakora.
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Red Chicken pakoras are chunks of seasoned chicken coated in a crisp, flavourful and seasoned batter. This deep-fried dish is crunchy on the outside and juicy and tasty on the inside. Pakora can be served as either a large appetizer or a main dish. Often Pakora is served with a creamy dipping sauce. Tender chicken marinated in a blend of fragrant spices, then coated in a chickpea flour-based batter for that signature mild nutty taste. This Chicken Pakora is then fried until beautifully golden and crisp.
Ingredients:
6 boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces (about 500g/1.1lb)
1tbsp finely-grated ginger
1green finger chilli, finely chopped
1tsp ground cumin
1tsp ground coriander
1tbsp dried coriander leaf
1tsp chilli flakes
1tsp ground fenugreek
750ml (3 cups) vegetable oil for deep frying
½ tsp salt
½ tsp garlic salt
100 g (1 ¼ cups) gram flour (chickpea flour/besan)
1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
180 ml (¾ cup) water
Transfer the chicken thigh pieces to a bowl and combine with the grated ginger, chopped chilli, cumin ground coriander, dried coriander leaf, chilli flakes and ground fenugreek. Mix together to coat the chicken, then cover and set aside to marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Place a wok or curry pan over medium heat. Once hot add oil to a depth of 8cm (3 in) so use a pan that’s deep enough to be less than half full with the oil.
Remove the chicken from the refrigerator then sprinkle over the salt, garlic salt, gram flour, cornflour and baking soda.
Mix everything thoroughly together to combine, then add in the water a splash at a time until you have a batter about the thickness of double (heavy) cream. You may not need all of the water.
Test the heat of your oil by dropping a little blob of the batter in the wok. It should sizzle and rise to the surface.
Now add the chicken into the oil, one piece at a time, using a set of tongs. You will probably need to work in 2 batches to ensure the pan isn’t overcrowded. Fry the chicken for 4-5 minutes until the coating is golden brown and the chicken is cooked through.
Remove the chicken pieces with a slotted spoon, drain on kitchen paper then transfer to a low oven (130C/250F) to keep warm as you cook the second batch.
Once all of the chicken pakoras have been cooked, transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with fresh, chopped, coriander and serve with chilli dipping sauce and/or a yoghurt-based dip.
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