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Edited on 12/29/2020 to add more details and information.
Radish Leaves Pakora also called Radish leaves Pakoda are deep fried snack made with radish greens. Spinach can be used instead of radish greens. Vegan and gluten-free.
These are really good.
Crispy, crunchy and delicious.
Serve it with mint chutney, plain ol’ ketchup or ketchup spiked with some hot sriracha sauce.
This is a good appetizer/snack to have for book-club meetings, or a simple family time in the evenings, birthday parties or any informal or formal get together.
what are the ingredients for the radish leaves pakora recipe?
- Radish leaves
- Onion
- Besan/chana dal flour
- Serrano Pepper/green Chillies
- Rice powder
- Ginger
- Cayenne pepper/Indian red Chilli Powder
- Paprika
- Turmeric powder
- Cumin seeds
- Salt
- Oil for deep frying
How to make these radish leaves pakora less spicy?
I have used three different types of chillies in the recipe:
- Serrano Pepper or Green Chillies - For a milder version, skip it entirely. But if you do want to use them, you can remove the veins and seeds to make it less spicy.
- Cayenne Pepper - This pepper does add heat to the pakodas. Skip this entirely for a mild version, or reduce the quantity to make it less spicy. If you are using Indian red chilli powder, try using Kashmiri red chilli powder. It gives a beautiful red color to the radish leaves pakoras. You can also try the same recipe with a spicier version of Indian red chilli powder.
- Paprika - If you do not get Kashmiri red chilli powder, you can use Sweet Paprika as substitute. This though is mild red chilli powder, adjust to suit your taste.
How to make these pakoras spicier?
Have a bolder pallette? Here are some tips to make these beautful evening snack to suit your taste:
- Add more green chillies or Serrano
- Add more red chilli powder. You can use spicier versions of them.
- Try adding some freshly crushed black pepper. This will slightly change the flavor profile.
You can also make the accompanying dips spicier instead of adding more spice to the pakodas.
- One of the dips that is very popular is the mint chutney - ooh! Lovely mint and coriander flavors with heat from green chillies. Play with the proportions of this to get the spice level you want.
- I also serve tomato ketchup with the pakodas. You spike it up with adding some hot sauce or Sriracha to your ketchup! So gooood!
Ingredient Substitutions
- Instead of radish leaves, you can make the pakoras with Spinach or beet leaves. They taste amazing.
how to make these pakodas crispy?
There are different ways to make these pakoras crispy.
- Adding rice flour to the batter (this is what I usually prefer)
- Adding a teaspoon or two of hot oil while mixing the batter.
- Double frying the pakoras - fry the pakoras and halfway through the cooking process, remove the pakoras, drain the oil, and deep fry again.
What if the batter turns watery?
If your batter turns watery, add some besan and rice flour. Adjust salt and the seasonings.
How to store and reheat leftover pakodas?
You can store leftover pakoras in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Leftover pakodas do lose their crispiness.
Reheating the pakodas:
- Microwave Method: This is the easiest method to reheat the pakodas. Wrap the pakodas in a kitchen paper towel and lay them in a single layer in a microwave-safe tray and wrap and microwave for about 30 seconds. The kitchen paper towel will absorb some of the moisture from the steam. They might still be slightly soggy if microwaved.
- Convection oven: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius). Bake the pakoras in a single layer for about 5-8 minutes or until crisp.
Additional Notes for Radish leaves pakoras
Before we go into the recipe and learn how to make radish leaves pakora/spinach leaves pakora, here are some things that you should keep in mind:
- 1 CUP = 250 ML. (US cups are typically 240 ml. You can use US cups with no significant change to the dish)
- 1 TEASPOON= 5 ML; 1 TABLESPOON= 15 ML
- Grams to cups measurements – we strive to provide these conversions as accurately as possible. There might be some slight variations depending on the brand, weighing scale, etc.
- The serving size is for 4. Always adjust the serving size to suit your dietary needs.
- Technically, besan/chana dal flour should be gluten-free. But if you are strictly following a gluten-free diet because of medical reasons, please do read the labels carefully, since some of these flours (brands) could be made in a facility that processes wheat flours.
- Instead of the cayenne pepper/paprika combination, you can use any Indian red chili powder. Adjust to taste.
- To cut the heat from the Serrano Peppers/Green Chilli, consider removing the seeds.
more appetizer recipes
- Have you tried Cauliflower tots?
- These flavored almonds are hit during the holiday season.
- Sweet heavens! Nutella Bruschetta - if you love Nutella as much as we do, you HAVE to try this!
Radish Leaves Pakora
Radish Leaves Pakora also called Radish leaves Pakoda are deep fried snack made with radish greens. Spinach can be used instead of radish greens. Vegan and gluten-free.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch (100 grams/2 cups chopped) radish leaves; washed and finely chopped
- 1 medium-sized (150 grams) onion; thinly sliced
- 1 cup besan/chana dal flour
- 1-2 Serrano Pepper/Green Chillies (adjust to taste; remove the seeds for less spicy version)
- 2 tablespoon rice powder/finely ground rice/rice flour
- 1-inch ginger; grated or minced
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper/Indian red Chilli Powder; adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon paprika (optional)
- ½ teaspoon Haldi/ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- Salt to taste
- Oil for deep frying
To serve
- Mint chutney or Ketchup
Instructions
- Wash and finely chop radish leaves/spinach leaves; slice onion thinly. Chop cilantro. Deseed Serrano Pepper and chop finely.
- In a medium sized bowl, mix besan, rice powder, spices(Cayenne, haldi, cumin seeds, grated ginger and Paprika) and salt. Combine it all together with (add a few tablepoons at a time) and whisk well to remove any lumps. You will need a little less than ½ cup of water. Make sure your batter is not too watery and there are no lumps.
- Mix the chopped greens, cilantro, finely chopped Serrano pepper to the batter and mix well to coat.
- Heat oil in a kadhai or pan over medium heat (to test whether the oil is hot enough, drop a cumin seed and if it rises immediately to the top, the oil is ready). Drop teaspoonfuls of batter into the hot oil without over crowding the kadhai and cook for about 50-60 seconds. Flip the pakoras and cook the other side too. Make sure your pakoras are crisp and golden brown in color before removing them from oil. Drain on a paper towel. Repeat with rest of the batter to make more pakoras.
- Serve with mint chutney or ketchup.
Notes
Technically, Besan/Chana Dal Flour should be gluten-free. But if you are strictly following a gluten-free diet because of medical reasons, please do read the labels carefully, since some of these flours (brands) could be made in a facility that process wheat flours.
Instead of cayenne pepper/Paprika combination, you can use any Indian red chili powder. Adjust to taste.
To cut the heat from the Serrano Peppers/Green Chilli, consider removing the seeds.
There are different ways to make these pakoras crispy:
-> Adding rice flour to the batter. (this is what I usually prefer)
-> Adding a teaspoon or two of hot oil while mixing the batter.
-> Double frying the pakoras - fry the pakoras and half way through the cooking process, remove the pakoras, drain the oil and deep fry again.
Reheating the pakodas:
-> Microwave Method: This is the easiest method to reheat the pakodas. Wrap the pakodas in a kitchen paper towel and lay them in a single layer in a microwave safe tray and wrap and microwave for about 30 seconds.
-> Convection oven: Preheat the oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit (180 degree celsius). Bake the p akorasin a single layer for about 5-8 minutes or until crisp.
You can buy finely ground rice/rice flour/rice powder at Indian stores.
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Sandhya Hariharan says
How much I love these garam garam pakora's Sreelatha !!! And yes your friends did the right thing of persuading you to share this magical pakora.
Framed Recipes says
Thanks Sandhya