While gluten-free baking requires carefully trying to recreate the structure of a baked good made with a glutinous grain, other gluten-free cooking is relatively easy. There are a myriad of gorgeous gluten-free grains with unique textures, hues and varying flavors, all of which are delicious and offer powerful nutrition, many of which are ground into flours.
A favorite dish of mine is piping-hot pakoras, a blend of vegetables, chickpea flour, and seasonings. Pakoras are a traditional Indian appetizer I often make even if I am not serving additional Indian fare. They make a scrumptious and fabulous light lunch served fresh from the pan with bright cool crisp salad.
Pakoras
© 2015 by Jennifer Katzinger. All rights reserved. Excerpted from Gluten-Free & Vegan for the Whole Family by permission of Sasquatch Books. Metric conversions added by The Cook’s Cook.
A comforting blend of onions, yams, and sweet potatoes is suffused with warming spices and drenched in a batter of protein-rich chickpea flour before being fried to crisp perfection. These pakoras are a tasty way to feed your kids more onions, which help us bounce back from colds and coughs. Onions contain calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, and are a good source of vitamin C and dietary fiber.
Ingredients
- •3 medium onions, peeled and diced
- •1 medium yam, peeled and diced
- •2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
- •1½ teaspoons sea salt
- •1 teaspoon chile powder
- •1 teaspoon garam masala
- •1 teaspoon turmeric
- •2 green chiles, finely chopped
- •1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- •2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- •184 grams (2 cups) chickpea flour
- •2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
- •Canola oil, for frying
- •Chutney, for serving
Preparation
In a large bowl, combine the onions, yam, and sweet potatoes. Add the salt, chile powder, garam masala, turmeric, chiles, coriander, and cumin and mix with a wooden spoon. Add the chickpea flour and mix again.
Add 177 ml (3⁄4 cup) cold water to the mixture, then add a tablespoon more at a time as needed, stirring well, until a thick batter is formed. (The batter should be thick but drop easily from a spoon.) Add the cilantro and stir well.
Fill a large saucepan one-third full of oil. Heat the oil to 232° C (450° F).
Test the heat by cooking just one pakora first. Use a soup spoon to put spoonfuls of the batter into the oil. Cook until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and put on a clean kitchen towel or paper towel to drain. Serve hot with a favorite chutney.
