Methi Pakora Recipe

Crispiest methi pakoras that are crunchy outside and have a texture as light as air thanks to one secret ingredient that I have added. Here’s how to make the best Methi Pakora with all my tips to make them crunchy without absorbing too much oil. 

Methi in English is known as fenugreek leaves. When fresh methi leaves are available in the season you can make this gluten-free vegan appetiser snack.

Crunchy delicious methi pakoras are the perfect tea-time snacks and the best part is it doesn't even absorb a lot of oil. I have combined ingredients and special ways that would cut down on the excessive oil you will usually find in pakoras.

To make this favourite Gujarati snack fresh methi leaves, besan, and a few additional spices are deep-fried in hot oil to make this dish.

It's crispy, spicy, and crunchy, and it's packed with nutrients thanks to the methi leaves. With green chutney and fried green chillies, this lip-smacking pakora is a must-try.

Why do we love this recipe?

• A delicious appetizer.
• Super easy to make and makes the crispiest methi pakora. 
• Ready in about fifteen to twenty minutes.
• It is a vegan, gluten-free tea time snack perfect to serve with evening tea.

Ingredients

• Gram flour (besan): Gram flour or besan is the flour that is always used in making pakoras. 
• Rice flour: rice flour is used in this crispy methi pakoda recipe for added crispiness.
• Salt taste
• Methi Leaves (Fenugreek Leaves): I begin by gathering a large quantity of fenugreek leaves. Pluck the leaves and store them in the fridge in a box. You'll save time when preparing a fenugreek-based cuisine this way. Simply take them out of the fridge. Rinse, chop, and add to the recipe as directed. Fenugreek leaves may be stored in the refrigerator for 10 to 12 days.
• Red Chilli powder: you can opt-out of it but it adds a ton of flavour to your crispy methi pakoras recipe
• Anardana: Anardana is dried pomegranet seeds and taste like sumac or amchoor. It is used as a sour agent in Indian and Persian cuisine. Slow air-drying gives it a molasses-like taste.
• Sesame seeds: Sesame seeds also known as til is a great addition for a burst of flavours and aroma
• Black pepper
• Red chilli flakes
• Turmeric powder (Haldi)
• Ajwain (Carom seeds)
• Fresh crushed Coriander (Dhania) - in this recipe, we are not using coriander powder but fresh coriander leaves. 
• Oil, for deep frying- I use mustard oil for deep frying pakora. If that is not available use any vegetable oil with high smoke point.

See the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

1. In a bowl add in the methi leaves, salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, ajwain, and crushed coriander until everything is thoroughly combined.
2. Add ¼ cup water to make pakora batter. Do not add too much just enough to bring the batter together.
3. Rest the batter in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.
4. In a medium-sized pan, pour the mustard oil. Once the oil is heated enough, put little pakoras (or bite-sized pieces) into it with a greased spoon or moist palms. Make sure the cooking pan isn't too full (or kadai).
5. Fry over medium heat, rotating the batch in the oil every now and then. Cook the pakoras till golden brown and drain on a kitchen towel. 
6. Fry the remaining pakoras in the same manner.

Tips to Make Best Crispy Pakora

1. Before chopping any greens, make sure they're properly cleaned. This is to get rid of any sand particles that may have accumulated in the methi leaves. That’s most important, otherwise, these may not even be edible.
2. Maintain the consistency of the batter. Add very little water just about to bring everything together. Do not add too much flour as pakora will become doughy instead of crispy
3. Rice flour makes them light and crunchy But don't add too much of it.

Top Tip

Maintain the consistency of the batter. Add very little water just about to bring everything together. Do not add too much flour as pakora will become doughy instead of crispy.

Tip for using fenugreek( methi)

Fenugreek leaves are slightly bitter in taste. I like the taste. But if you do not like the taste massage the chopped fenugreek leaves in a bowl with a pinch of salt. Keep it for 15 to 20 minutes and lightly squeeze the leaves and use them.

But then check the amount of salt you add later in the dish otherwise you may end up with a very salty dish.

Substitutions

Rice flour: You can substitute rice flour with sooji or semolina.

Variations

• ADDITIONS- You can also add a few or one of these leafy vegetables along with fenugreek leaves. Amaranth leaves (bathua), Dill leaves (sua saag) Spinach leaves (palak)
• HEALTHY-TAKE- instead of deep-frying the methi pakoda, fritters, you can just grease the skillet with oil and try shallow frying or pan fry. 
• Another great way to avoid oil is to air fry the crispy methi pakoras. In the section below I have talked about the air fryer pakora recipe.

Why do methi and besan make a good combination?

The simple answer is that the health advantages outweigh the additional power of great flavour. Methi leaves not only provide flavour to dishes, but they also provide nutrition.
Besan is a gluten-free low GI flour. It is rich in protein, fibre, iron, manganese, potassium, copper, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus, folate, vitamin B-6, and thiamine. 

Methi health benefits

The eating of methi seeds daily might help with digestion. Consumption of methi seeds might assist in weight maintenance or decrease. Methi can help with sore throats, colds, coughs, and fevers. It is beneficial to take methi seeds to alleviate menopausal symptoms.

Best oil for frying methi pakoras

Cooking with mustard oil provides several advantages, including a high concentration of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids (MUFA and PUFA), as well as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. These fats are beneficial because they reduce the risk of ischemic heart disease by nearly half.

Oil temperature 

Before adding the pakora batter, the oil should be hot almost near the smoking point. The pakoras will soak up the oil if the oil is not hot enough. The pakoda will brown on the exterior but not cook on the inside of the oil is too hot. Pakoras must be cooked over medium-high heat.
To remove the excessive oil, later on, place the fried pakoras on a kitchen paper towel. 

Can you air fry methi pakoras?

For making the pakoras oil-free and healthier, air frying seems to be the perfect option. This is how you can air fry your methi pakoras:

1. Methi should be well washed and coarsely chopped. Set aside for now. 
2. Combine all of the ingredients, including the oil and salt, in a mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly. To produce a dough, add the required amount of water. Set aside. 
3. Preheat the Air Fryer to 180 degrees Celsius. Make a tiny ball out of the dough and flatten it. 
4. Place the pakoda in the basket and spray with oil spray and cook for 10 minutes at 200 degrees Celcius. Turn them once after 7 minutes.
5. When it's finished, it's done. 
6. Place on a serving platter. Serve hot methi pakoda with tomato ketchup right away. 

Serving Suggestions

With tomato ketchup, coriander chutney, tamarind chutney, or mint chutney, serve these methi pakoras hot with a cup of masala tea or coffee. You may also serve them with chapati or slices of bread. They're perfect for a teatime snack. Serve methi pakoda with green chutney, tamarind chutney, or tomato ketchup as an appetiser or teatime snack. You may eat them with roti or sandwich between two slices of bread.

Storage

You can store leftover methi pakoras in the refrigerator in an airtight container. They Keep good in the fridge for about 2 days. These pakoras freeze well so you can make an extra batch and freeze methi pakora.
To reheat the best way is to put them in an air fryer at 180c for 4-5 minutes.or in an oven at 180c for 8-9 minutes.

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• Air Frier Methi Pakora
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• Methi Thepla
• Egg Pakora Recipe
• Best Pakora Recipe Collection

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