Air Fryer Recipe
Air Fried Pakora Platter
A colourful platter of crisp, well-spiced pakoras, with a mix of vegetable bites that cook beautifully in the air fryer.
Ingredients
- 2 large onions (thinly sliced)
- 1 cup gram flour
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 green chilies (finely chopped)
- salt to taste
- a handful of chopped coriander leaves
- water as needed
- 1 cup chopped spinach
- 2 potatoes (grated)
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
Method
- In a mixing bowl, combine the onions, gram flour, turmeric, cumin seeds, chillies, coriander leaves and salt.
- Add the water gradually, mixing until you have a thick batter that coats the onions well.
- Preheat the air fryer to 180°C.
- Place spoonfuls of the onion mixture in the air fryer basket, making sure they are well spaced.
- Air fry for about 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp.
- Mix the spinach, grated potatoes, gram flour, spices and salt in a large bowl.
- Gradually add the water, stirring until a batter forms.
- Preheat your air fryer to 180°C.
- Drop spoonfuls of the mixture into the fryer basket, flattening them slightly.
- Air fry for 15-18 minutes, until the pakoras are crisp and golden.
Why this works in an air fryer
Air frying works here because a thick gram-flour batter has little gluten and sets quickly in hot convection, while exposed onion, spinach and potato edges dehydrate and crisp. Spacing is critical: pakoras release steam, so dry circulating air must reach the surface before the centres overcook.
Equipment notes
Assumes a 5–6 litre basket holding about 6–8 small pakoras in one layer; smaller baskets need extra batches. In a single-drawer model, shake or turn halfway and rotate edge pieces inward. In a dual-zone air fryer, split batches evenly and use the sync function, checking the spinach-potato pakoras 2–3 minutes later as they hold more moisture.
Common pitfalls
- Batter spreading into flat puddles? It is too loose or the vegetables have released water; stir in 1–2 tbsp gram flour and rest for 5 minutes before cooking.
- Golden outside but raw, floury centre? The spoonfuls are too large or too domed; flatten to about 1.5 cm thick and cook 3–5 minutes longer at 170°C.
- Pale, leathery pakoras after the stated time? The basket is overcrowded and trapping steam; cook fewer at once and leave visible gaps between each piece.
- Potato pakoras browning before the potato softens? The potato strands are too thick; grate more finely, squeeze out excess liquid, and reduce to 170°C for the first 10 minutes.
Variations & substitutions
- Use cauliflower florets in place of some onion; cut them very small or par-cook briefly, as dense florets need more time than onion strands.
- Swap spinach for finely shredded cabbage; it gives a sweeter pakora but releases water slowly, so add gram flour only after salting and squeezing lightly.
- Add 1 tsp crushed ajwain or fennel seeds; they do not change timing but make the gram-flour batter taste more savoury and less earthy.
- Use sweet potato instead of white potato; it browns faster because of its sugars, so check 2–3 minutes earlier and lower the temperature if edges darken.
Storage & reheating
Keep cooked pakoras chilled for up to 3 days, then reheat in a single layer in the air fryer at 180°C for 4–6 minutes until crisp and hot through.
Nutrition
Calories: 250
