Pakora

{{Short description|Spiced fritter originally from the Indian subcontinent}}

{{Infobox food

| name = Pakora

| image = Onion pakora - a.jpg

| image_size = 250px

| caption = Onion pakora

| alternate_name = {{csv|Pakoda|pikora|bhajiya|pakodi|ponako|pakura|fakkura|phulauri|bora|chop}}

| country = South Asia{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/pakora|title=Pakora - food|website=Britannica.com|access-date=23 January 2018}}{{cite web|first=Leora Y.|last=Bloom|url=http://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/pakoras-are-tasty-versatile-treats-from-india-that-work-well-as-appetizers-snacks-or-meals/|title=Pakoras are tasty, versatile treats from the Indian subcontinent that work well as appetizers, snacks or meals|date=10 May 2016|website=The Seattle Times|access-date=23 January 2018}}{{cite news |first=Vir|last=Sanghvi|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/brunch/take-pride-in-the-bonda-or-pakora-it-is-our-gift-to-the-world/story-khxwM10l0NT8HLZ8ik9G7I.html|title=Take pride in the bonda or pakora. It is our gift to the world|date=18 April 2015|work=Hindustan Times|access-date=23 January 2018}}

| region = South Asia

| national_cuisine = {{ubl

| Bangladesh

| India

| Pakistan

| Nepal{{cite web | url=https://migrationology.com/hot-pink-puris-and-onion-pakoras-the-brightest-snack-youve-ever-seen/ | title=Hot Pink Puris and Onion Pakoras - the Brightest Snack You've Ever Seen? | date=29 August 2013 }}

| Trinidad and Tobago

| Afghanistan

}}

| course = Appetizer or snack

| type = Fritter

| served =

| main_ingredient = {{hlist

| Vegetables

| gram flour

| spices

| onions

}}

| variations = {{ubl

| Potato

| Eggplant

| Onion

| Cauliflower

| Spinach

| Mixed vegetables

| Paneer

| Chicken

}}

| calories =

| other =

| similar_dish = Kyet thun kyaw
Pholourie

}}

Pakora ({{IPA|hns|pəˈkɔːɽa|pron}}) is a fritter originating from the Indian subcontinent. They are sold by street vendors and served in restaurants across South Asia.{{cite book|title=Lord Krishna's Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegetarian cooking|last=Devi|first=Yamuna|year=1999|publisher=E. P. Dutton|location=New York|isbn=0-525-24564-2|pages=[https://archive.org/details/lordkrishnascuis00yamu/page/447 447–466, Pakoras: Vegetable Fritters]|url=https://archive.org/details/lordkrishnascuis00yamu/page/447}} They often consist of vegetables such as potatoes and onions, which are coated in seasoned gram flour batter and deep-fried.

Other spellings include pikora, pakoda, and pakodi, and regional names include bhaji, bhajiya, bora, ponako, and chop.

Etymology

The word pakoṛā is derived from Sanskrit पक्ववट, pakvavaṭa,{{cite book |title=The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary |editor=R. S. McGregor |editor-link=R. S. McGregor |year=1997 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-864339-5 |page=588}} a compound of pakva ('cooked') and vaṭa ('a small lump') or its derivative vaṭaka, 'a round cake made of pulse fried in oil or ghee'.{{cite book |title=A Sanskrit-English Dictionary |last=Monier-Williams |first=Monier |author-link=Monier Monier-Williams |year=1995 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |location=New Delhi |isbn=81-208-0065-6 |page=914 |url=http://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/monier/index.html |access-date=30 June 2010}} The word Bhajji is derived from the Sanskrit word Bharjita meaning fried.[https://www.learnsanskrit.cc/translate?search=bharjita&dir=au Sanskrit Dictionary-Bharjita]. Learn Sanskrit. Retrieved 2 April 2025.

Some divergence of transliteration may be noted in the third consonant in the word. The sound is a hard 'da' in the Telugu language and the 'ra' sound would be an incorrect pronunciation. The sound is the retroflex flap {{IPAblink|ɽ}}, which is written in Hindi with the letter ड़, and in Urdu with the letter ڑ.

However, in the International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, the Hindi letter ड़ is transliterated as <ṛ>, popular or non-standard transliterations of Hindi use for this sound, because etymologically, it derives from ड {{IPAslink|ɖ}}. The occurrence of this consonant in the word pakora has given rise to two common alternative spellings in English: pakoda, which reflects its etymology, and pakora, which reflects its phonology.

History

An early variation of pakora appears in Sanskrit literature and Tamil Sangam literature but the recipe is not clearly provided as they only mention it as 'a round cake made of pulse fried in oil' and 'crispy fried vegetables' which were served as part of the meals.{{cite book |title=A Sanskrit-English Dictionary |last=Monier-Williams |first=Monier |author-link=Monier Monier-Williams |year=1995 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |location=New Delhi |isbn=81-208-0065-6 |page=914 |url=http://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/monier/index.html |access-date=30 June 2010}}Food habits as represented in Sangam literature by Ce Namacivayam, 1981 Early known recipes come from Manasollasa (1130 CE) cookbook which mentions "Parika" (pakoda) and the method of preparing it with vegetables and gram flour.{{cite book|author=K.T. Achaya| author-link=K. T. Achaya| title=The Story of Our Food|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bk9RHRCqZOkC |year=2003| publisher=Orient Blackswan |isbn=978-81-7371-293-7|page=85}} Lokopakara (1025 CE) cookbook also mentions unique pakora recipe where gram flour is pressed into fish-shaped moulds and fried in mustard oil.Feasts and Fasts: A History of Food in India, pg151, Colleen Taylor Sen · 2015

Preparation

Pakoras are made by coating ingredients, usually vegetables, in a spiced batter, and then deep frying them.

Common varieties of pakora use onion, masoor dal (lentil),{{cite web |title= Masoor Dal Pakora Recipe |url=https://bharatkirasoi.com/crispy-masoor-dal-pakoda/ |website= |date=27 August 2022 |access-date= 9 Jan 2023}} suji (semolina),{{cite web |title= Suji Pakora Recipe |date=22 September 2022 |url=https://bharatkirasoi.com/suji-pakoda/ |access-date= 5 Feb 2023}} chicken, arbi root and leaves, eggplant, potato, chili pepper, spinach, paneer, cauliflower, mint, plantain or baby corn.{{cite web |last1=Siddiqi |first1=Kamran |title=Mom's Onion Pakora Recipe |url=https://www.sophisticatedgourmet.com/2016/05/onion-pakora-recipe/ |website=Sophisticated Gourmet |date=19 May 2016 |publisher=Sophisticated Gourmet |access-date=24 May 2020}}

The batter is most commonly made with gram flour or a mixture of gram flour and rice flour but variants can use other flours, such as buckwheat flour. The spices used in the batter are up to the cook and may be chosen due to local tradition or availability; often these include fresh and dried spices such as chilli, fenugreek, ginger, cardamom, turmeric and coriander.

Serving

Pakoras are eaten as a snack or appetiser, often accompanied by chutney or raita. They are also offered with masala chai to guests at Indian wedding ceremonies.

Regional names

A gram-flour fritter is known in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka as pakoda or bajji, in Gujarat as bhajia, in Maharashtra as bhaji, and in Andhra Pradesh/Telangana and Karnataka as bajji or pakodi. Pakodain Bengal (some parts) "Jhal pitha" may be interpreted in these states as deep-fried balls of finely chopped onions, green chilis, and spices mixed in gram flour. In Manipur, it is known as bora.