At the local Indo-Chinese restaurant here in Toronto, chicken pakoras are a huge hit. They are oddly shaped somewhat round fritters made up of generous chicken pieces combined in a spiced batter with chopped green chillies and deep fried. Served with lemon wedges for a hint of acid, they are light, crisp on the outside with a moist interior, spicy and delicious. It's the first item that customers order as an appetizer. We too enjoy them and I replicated the recipe at home. It's simple, easy and similar in taste to what is served at the restaurant. The best part of preparing pakoras at home is that they are not deep fried twice, the quality of food and oil is controlled. In addition, whenever you have a crave, they can be prepared and enjoyed in minutes.
Very small pieces of chicken breasts are mixed with soy sauce, chilli garlic sauce, chopped green chillies, rice flour, corn flour and egg. The mixture is slightly sticky and with the right hand fingers shaped into lemon sized balls, deep fried till golden brown. These pakoras are succulent and addictive with a sprinkle of lemon juice on top.
The ideal temperature for deep frying is between 350 to 375 F. When food is fried at this temperature range, the outer surface cooks instantly forming a seal around the food to prevent the oil from penetrating the interior. The moisture inside the food turns into steam cooking the interior while simultaneously, keeping the oil out of the food. If the oil is not hot enough, it seeps into the food, making it soggy and greasy. When the oil is too hot, the food dries out oxidizing the oil (degrading the quality). For excellent results, it is always important to maintain the right temperature when deep frying.
Very small pieces of chicken breasts are mixed with soy sauce, chilli garlic sauce, chopped green chillies, rice flour, corn flour and egg. The mixture is slightly sticky and with the right hand fingers shaped into lemon sized balls, deep fried till golden brown. These pakoras are succulent and addictive with a sprinkle of lemon juice on top.
The ideal temperature for deep frying is between 350 to 375 F. When food is fried at this temperature range, the outer surface cooks instantly forming a seal around the food to prevent the oil from penetrating the interior. The moisture inside the food turns into steam cooking the interior while simultaneously, keeping the oil out of the food. If the oil is not hot enough, it seeps into the food, making it soggy and greasy. When the oil is too hot, the food dries out oxidizing the oil (degrading the quality). For excellent results, it is always important to maintain the right temperature when deep frying.
Indo-Chinese Chicken Pakoras
(Makes 18 to 20)
Ingredients:
2 large boneless chicken breasts (1/2 kg)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Lee Kum Kee Chili Garlic Sauce
1/4 cup rice flour
2 tablespoons corn flour
1 egg (lightly beaten)
2 long green chillies (chopped into rounds)
Method:
Wash chicken breasts, pat dry and cut into very small pieces. Combine with rest of the ingredients. (No salt is added, read Note below.)
Heat oil for deep frying at 350 F or 180 C.
Drop lemon sized balls of the mixture into hot oil. Fry pakoras till chicken cooked through and golden brown on the outside. Drain on absorbent paper towels.
Serve warm pakoras with lemon wedges.
Note:
(Makes 18 to 20)
Ingredients:
2 large boneless chicken breasts (1/2 kg)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Lee Kum Kee Chili Garlic Sauce
1/4 cup rice flour
2 tablespoons corn flour
1 egg (lightly beaten)
2 long green chillies (chopped into rounds)
Method:
Wash chicken breasts, pat dry and cut into very small pieces. Combine with rest of the ingredients. (No salt is added, read Note below.)
Heat oil for deep frying at 350 F or 180 C.
Drop lemon sized balls of the mixture into hot oil. Fry pakoras till chicken cooked through and golden brown on the outside. Drain on absorbent paper towels.
Serve warm pakoras with lemon wedges.
Note:
- No salt is added as it is replaced with the sodium from the soy sauce and chilli garlic sauce.
- Use Lee Kum Kee Chili Garlic Sauce (picture below) for perfect results in taste. The sauce has bits of chilli flakes.
- Instead of chicken, use prawns, cut them into small pieces and enjoy prawn pakoras.