PAKORAS
Stephen Doyle
Spiced spinach and onion pakoras with mint garlic yoghurt.
I'd use 1/2 besan and 1/2 self raising flour just to lighten the batter mix a little and for better crunch. Please make sure you flatten the fritters in the middle so you don't get an undercooked centre.
(I use two soup spoons, scoop the mixture with one, the second spoon flattens the middle before you use it to scrape the mix into the hot oil.)
Our 2009 Chirac can cope with some Indian spices such as cumin, coriander and even tamarind but don't be too heavy with the chilli.
Serve the warm fritters with icy cold Chirac and you'll be thrilled.
Instead of the recipe's recommended pear mint chutney, a lighter and less sweet dipping sauce can be made by pureeing some Greek yoghurt; a touch of salt; fresh mint leaves and slivers of garlic- a little of this goes a long way as pureeing makes the yoghurt quite thin and runny.