Bread Pakoda

04 Jul Bread Pakoda

BREAD PAKODA

Though you’re free to go with snack, I reckon the Bread Pakoda belongs in the mini-meal category. It’s one of my go-to breakfasts for the kids during winters, but the monsoons arriveth, and now is as good a time as any to serve deep fried food. The bread pakoda is also versatile that way, since it doesn’t crumble when cooled, and is therefore a useful school tiffin option.

A couple of pointers before we proceed. Bread tends to drink up oil, and that ruins the texture of your dish, so no re-frying and ensure that your batter has body and coats the bread well. Second, if you need to re-heat, use an oven or just a griddle (‘tava’).

Serves – 4

Time – 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS – BATTER

Besan – 2.5 cups

Heeng – 0.50 tsp

Red Chilli powder – Kashmiri if you’re queasy – 0.5 tsp

Garam Masala – 0.5 tsp

Ajwain – I simply crush fresh leaves, you can use the grain as well – 0.5 tsp

Salt – To taste

INGREDIENTS – FILLING

Bread slices – White, brown, multigrain, whatever.

Paneer – A chunk enough for 6-8 slices, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes.

Potatoes – Boiled & mashed – 4

Green chilly – 2, finely chopped

Dhania leaves – 3 tbsp, finely chopped

Peas – Steamed & lightly mashed – 0.50 cup (Strictly optional)

Red chilly powder – 0.50 tsp

Amchur – 1.50 tsp

Rock salt – To taste

Oil – To deep-fry

PREPARATION

1. Boil, skin, mash potatoes
2. Boil water separately, and keep your chunk of paneer in it for 30 minutes. This softens the paneer, and helps you cut neat slices.
3. BATTER – Mix batter ingredients. Add 0.50 cup of water, a few drops of oil, and mix well, ensuring no bubbles or blobs of besan.
4. FILLING PASTE – Mix potato paste with green chilly, crushed peas (if used), dhania leaves, red chilli powder, amchur, and rock salt.

PROCESS

1. Rub filling paste nicely on to one side of each slice, roughly covering the surface.
2. Place paneer slice on top of one such slice and place the other slice above, such that paneer has potato on either side and your outside is simply bread. Follow suit for all your slices.
3. Now cut the bread into half, latitudinal or diagonal. Press lightly when you do this, to avoid the filling inside getting disturbed.
4. Heat oil to hot.
5. Coat each sandwich with the batter liberally, completely covering it, and fry immediately on medium flame, till golden brown. Ensure no punctures in the batter, because if the oil gets to your bread, the pakodas are headed dustbin-wards.
6. Drain on to plate covered with tissue paper sheets, so the excess oil is soaked away.
7. Serve hot with mint chutney or sweet tamarind chutney.