Back of the fridge pakoras

Delicious vegetables and onion fried in hot oil, pakoras are a go-to when we want a snack. We usually make them when we have lots of veg knocking around at the end of the week to use up.

Ingredients

• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• 300g/10½oz thinly sliced vegetables (potatoes, carrots, courgettes, broccoli, cauliflower)
• 3 spring onions, thinly sliced
• 3 green chillies, sliced
• ¼ tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp salt
• large handful fresh coriander
• 300g/10½oz chickpea flour
• vegetable oil, for deep frying

Method for pakoras

1. Put your sliced onion in a large bowl and separate the onion strands. Add the thinly sliced vegetables, spring onion, chillies, turmeric, salt and coriander. Using your hands, mix everything together. Cover and leave for 30 minutes. You will see some moisture being released from the onion mixture, which is exactly as it should be.

2. Sprinkle in the chickpea flour and add 100ml/3½fl oz water. Using your hands, mix until you have a sticky dough that holds the vegetables together. Add more water if the mixture is too dry.

3. Half fill a deep pan or deep-fat fryer with oil and heat to 180C. Using three fingers, take clumps of the vegetable mixture and gently drop into the oil. Don’t be tempted to shape into balls: what we want are straggly pakoras that are crisp and uneven.

4. Fry and turn in the oil until crisp and the batter golden-brown. Drain on a tray or plate lined with kitchen paper. Fry the remaining mixture, eating as you go.

Back of the fridge pakoras