Deep-fried bread fritters, known as Bread Pakora (With Stuffing), are a favorite snack of North Indian Cuisine, in particular Punjabi cuisine. Spiced besan, gram flour aka besan flour, and salt are used to make bread pakora or bread bajji. The stuffing is either mashed potato stuffing or made without it.
An Indian recipe using gram flour batter dipped in a spiced potato stuffing and fried.
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Some other recipes you would like on my blog – Hara Bhara Stuffed Kabab | Hara Bhara Kabab, Baked Potato Slices – sliced baked potatoes, Mexican corn salad – Roasted corn salad Mexican, EASY EGGPLANT RED PEPPER DIP (AJVAR).
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Bread Pakora (With Stuffing) – what is it?
Bread Pakora (With Stuffing) is simply called Bread Fritters in English. This is a savory snack, not a sweet one. North Indians call them bread pakora whereas South Indians call them bread bajji.
Bread pakoras are typically made by dipping and coating halved bread slices in gram flour batter and frying them.
The first time I tasted bread pakora was of course on street carts in Mumbai and also when my mother made them for weekend breakfasts.
A spicy, tangy potato stuffing is found in the bread pakoras sold on street corners and in Indian restaurants.
If you are making them at home, you can add some steamed green peas, cheese, or paneer (Indian cottage cheese) to the basic potato stuffing. Spices or herbs can be changed to suit your family’s tastes.
About Bread Pakora (With Stuffing) Recipe
As for the batter, I always put carom seeds (ajwain) and a few spices in. The carom seeds add a pleasant aroma, as well as helping to digest food. The gram flour batter can even be flavored with a pinch of asafoetida (hing), grated ginger, or chopped ginger – both of which are good for digestion.
In my potato stuffing recipe, I use aromatic, warm spices to give it true Punjabi flavors. The stuffing is spiced and tangy, and it is absolutely delicious. Additionally, you don’t have to fry or sauté anything. The potato stuffing is ready when you add ground spices to the mashed potatoes.
Any kind of bread will do. The best tasting and most satisfying is white bread. We enjoy bread pakoda for breakfast and tea time snacks at home. These bread fritters are wonderful when accompanied with a cup of hot Indian masala chai and a sweet and tangy dipping sauce.
Ingredients
For Stuffing:
- 1 tbsp – Coriander leaves Chopped finely
- 2 tbsp – Mint leaves Chopped finely
- 1 to 2 – Green chilies (finely chopped)
- 1/2 tsp – Red chili powder
- 1/2 tsp – Garam masala powder
- 1/2 tsp – Dry mango powder (amchur powder)
- 4 medium – Boiled and mashed potatoes
- salt as per taste
- 1/2 tsp – Lemon juice or dry mango powder
For Batter or Coating:
- 1 cup – Besan (gram flour) or chickpea flour
- 1/2 tsp – Carom seeds (ajwain)
- 1/2 tsp – Red chili powder or cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp – Turmeric powder
- 1/4 tsp – Garam masala powder
- 1 pinch – Asafoetida (hing)
- 1 to 2 pinches – Baking soda (Optional as it will make the pakora fluffy)
- salt as required
Extra:
- 8 slice – Bread white or brown or multigrain
- Oil for frying
How To Make Bread Pakora (With Stuffing) recipe Step By Step With Photo:
- It is necessary to prepare the potato stuffing before you begin making this delicious snack. Cooking the potatoes can be done in a pan, pressure cooker, or Instant Pot. Put them into a 2-liter pressure cooker after they have been rinsed. Make sure you cover them with water. The pressure cooker should be set for 3 to 4 whistles or 7 to 9 minutes. Drain off the water. Bring the potatoes to room temperature. Mash, peel, or grate the potatoes.
- For stuffing – Add the stuffing spices and, herbs to the grated potatoes. Adjust the seasoning to taste.
- Mix well and set aside.
- For batter or coating – To begin, add half a cup of water to all the ingredients for batter and mix well. You don’t want the batter to be too thick or too thin.
- Add water if it is too thick. Whenever you keep the oil for frying on the stovetop, add 1–2 tsp of hot oil to the batter.
- Stir thoroughly. To incorporate some air into the batter, whisk non-stop for 1 to 2 minutes. Set the batter aside.
- Place two or three tablespoons of tomato ketchup on each slice of bread, take another slice and spread green chutney (optional), and top with potato mixture evenly.
- Another slice should be placed on top of this potato slice and now slice them into a triangle shape. The sandwich now looks like a triangle. The sandwich can be lightly pressed.
- Heat oil in a pan. When hot add a drop of the batter to the oil, you can determine whether it is ready for deep frying. Finished oil will sizzle and slowly rise to the surface as the batter gradually comes to the surface. In this case, the oil needs to be heated a little more – so turn up the heat a bit. Reduce the heat a bit if it comes over very quickly. Apply the besan batter evenly to the stuffed bread sandwich. Handle the sandwich gently. Bread will break if you keep the sandwich in besan batter for an extended period of time. Using your left hand, hold the batter bowl near the pan or Kadai containing the oil. Spread the batter gently over the bread.
- Dip the entire sandwich into the besan batter as you hold it in your hand. Move the bread coated in batter from the bowl to the pan or Kadai with hot oil after removing the extra batter from around the edges of the bowl. Dip bread into the oil gently.
- Slide the bread sandwich dipped in besan batter into the oil gently. Take care when placing the bread in hot oil. Put it in gently. Make sure not to overcrowd the kadai/pan by adding more than two bread pakoras per kadai. Heat oil on a medium to high burner.
- Fry for a few minutes until golden brown. Turn the fried side over when one side is light golden. These are heavy so be careful when turning them over. You should be gentle when turning them over.
- Once they are crisp and golden brown, flip them a couple of more times and fry them on a medium or medium-high flame until they are golden brown.
- With a slotted spoon, remove the crispy and golden fried pakora and drain the extra oil.
- On kitchen paper towels, place the fried bread pakoda so that excess oil is absorbed. The remaining bread pakodas should also be fried in the same way. Remove them to paper towels to remove excess oil.
- Pakoras should be served hot or warm.
Bread Pakora (With Stuffing) Serving Suggestion
Coriander or mint chutney goes well with bread pakora. Additionally, it tastes great with sweet dipping sauces like tomato ketchup or sweet tamarind chutney.
These tasty aloo bread pakodas are also great served with onion-garlic chutney and coconut chutney.
For a truly Indian evening chai experience, pair them with ginger chai or masala chai.
Important Suggestion To Keep In Mind
- Make sure the potatoes you use are high in starch, such as Idaho or Russet potatoes. New potatoes and potatoes with a gummy texture should not be used.
- Gram Flour is flour made from chana dal that has been husked and split, which is used in most Indian fritter recipes. Gram Flour is sometimes known as Bengal Gram as well. Chickpeas that are hulled and split are basically brown chickpeas. So, there’s no reason you cannot use chickpea flour (made from white chickpeas like garbanzo beans or Kabuli chana).
- The recipe can be modified by adding different combinations of spices and herbs to both the besan batter and the potato stuffing. It can also be spiced with fresh herbs like mint leaves, cilantro (coriander leaves), ginger, garlic, and ground cumin or ground coriander powder, red chili powder, black pepper powder, curry powder, or garam masala.
- Fry the pakoda at medium heat to avoid oily pakoda. Don’t fry at a low temperature as this will cause the pakoda to absorb more oil. The pakoda will brown and cook from the outside but remain raw on the inside if fried on high heat.
To make the pakoda crisp, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of hot oil to the besan batter. This reduces oil absorption. - Make your batter with a medium consistency. If the batter is thick, it will not be fluffy or soft on the outside. The sogginess of the pakoda is caused by a thin batter that absorbs too much oil.
- Making the potato stuffing some hours or a day ahead and refrigerating it is the best way to make bread pakoda for morning breakfasts or evening snacks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can bread pakora be made on the Tawa?
My favorite way to prepare bread pakora is on the tawa. Warm 3 to 4 tablespoons of oil in a pan to fry two slices stuffed with batter. Fry the second side gently when the first side is golden. Ensure that the edges/sides of the bread are also cooked so that they are also toasted.
How healthy are bread pakoras?
It is best to eat bread pakora occasionally since they are deep-fried. Additionally, white bread is used, which is not the healthiest choice for bread.
How gluten-free are Indian pakoras?
The batter for pakoras is completely gluten-free as it is completely made with gram flour (besan) and at times with some rice flour thrown in. Pakora batter is gluten-free since it is made with all besan (gram flour) and sometimes rice flour as well. Besan is gram flour or brown chickpea flour. Gluten-free pakoras become glutenous after adding asafetida to the batter.
Is it possible to air-fry or bake bread pakora?
The answer is yes, you can bake or air fry them at 180 degrees Celsius. Baked and fried foods did not have the same texture. There is no deep-fried pakoda texture, so if you expect that, you will be disappointed. To make them healthy, bake or air-fry them. Bake or fry your food in the oven or air fryer for 10 minutes prior to cooking. In the besan batter, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil for a crisp, soft crust.
What are the methods for checking oil temperature?
A common temperature for deep frying is 180°C to 190°C (360°F to 375°F). You can easily measure these temperatures if you have a deep-fry or candy thermometer.
How do you measure these temperatures without one?
Using any of the following two methods will still let you check the temperature.
- Drop a few drops of batter in the oil. A sizzle can be heard if the batter droplets rise to the top gradually. Oil is not hot enough if droplets stick to the bottom of the pan or come up slowly from the surface. When batter droplets rise quickly, quickly on the oil surface and quickly become browed, the oil is very hot.
- Warm the oil and place a small bread cube in it. The temperature is perfect for frying the bread cube if it turns golden in about one minute. The oil will become very hot and need to cool slightly if it becomes burnt or very dark. For pale-colored cubes, the oil needs to be heated further.
Bread Pakora (With Stuffing)
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 people 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Deep-fried bread fritters, known as Bread Pakora (With Stuffing), are a favorite snack of North Indian Cuisine, in particular Punjabi cuisine. Spiced besan, gram flour aka besan flour, and salt are used to make bread pakora or bread bajji. The stuffing is either mashed potato stuffing or made without it
Ingredients
For Stuffing:
- 1 tbsp – Coriander leaves Chopped finely
- 2 tbsp – Mint leaves Chopped finely
- 1 to 2 – Green chilies (finely chopped)
- 1/2 tsp – Red chili powder
- 1/2 tsp – Garam masala powder
- 1/2 tsp – Dry mango powder (amchur powder)
- 4 medium – Boiled and mashed potatoes
- salt as per taste
- 1/2 tsp – Lemon juice or dry mango powder
For Batter or Coating:
- 1 cup – Besan (gram flour) or chickpea flour
- 1/2 tsp – Carom seeds (ajwain)
- 1/2 tsp – Red chili powder or cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp – Turmeric powder
- 1/4 tsp – Garam masala powder
- 1 pinch – Asafoetida (hing)
- 1 to 2 pinches – Baking soda (Optional as it will make the pakora fluffy)
- salt as required
Extra:
- 8 slice – Bread white or brown or multigrain
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- It is necessary to prepare the potato stuffing before you begin making this delicious snack. Cooking the potatoes can be done in a pan, pressure cooker, or Instant Pot. Put them into a 2-liter pressure cooker after they have been rinsed. Make sure you cover them with water. The pressure cooker should be set for 3 to 4 whistles or 7 to 9 minutes. Drain off the water. Bring the potatoes to room temperature. Mash, peel, or grate the potatoes.
- For stuffing – Add the stuffing spices and, herbs to the grated potatoes. Adjust the seasoning to taste.
- Mix well and set aside.
- For batter or coating – To begin, add half a cup of water to all the ingredients for batter and mix well. You don’t want the batter to be too thick or too thin.
- Add water if it is too thick. Whenever you keep the oil for frying on the stovetop, add 1–2 tsp of hot oil to the batter.
- Stir thoroughly. To incorporate some air into the batter, whisk non-stop for 1 to 2 minutes. Set the batter aside.
- Place two or three tablespoons of tomato ketchup on each slice of bread, take another slice and spread green chutney (optional), and top with potato mixture evenly.
- Another slice should be placed on top of this potato slice and now slice them into a triangle shape. The sandwich now looks like a triangle. The sandwich can be lightly pressed.
- Heat oil in a pan. When hot add a drop of the batter to the oil, you can determine whether it is ready for deep frying. Finished oil will sizzle and slowly rise to the surface as the batter gradually comes to the surface. In this case, the oil needs to be heated a little more – so turn up the heat a bit. Reduce the heat a bit if it comes over very quickly. Apply the besan batter evenly to the stuffed bread sandwich. Handle the sandwich gently. Bread will break if you keep the sandwich in besan batter for an extended period of time. Using your left hand, hold the batter bowl near the pan or Kadai containing the oil. Spread the batter gently over the bread.
- Dip the entire sandwich into the besan batter as you hold it in your hand. Move the bread coated in batter from the bowl to the pan or Kadai with hot oil after removing the extra batter from around the edges of the bowl. Dip bread into the oil gently.
- Slide the bread sandwich dipped in besan batter into the oil gently. Take care when placing the bread in hot oil. Put it in gently. Make sure not to overcrowd the kadai/pan by adding more than two bread pakoras per kadai. Heat oil on a medium to high burner.
- Fry for a few minutes until golden brown. Turn the fried side over when one side is light golden. These are heavy so be careful when turning them over. You should be gentle when turning them over.
- Once they are crisp and golden brown, flip them a couple of more times and fry them on a medium or medium-high flame until they are golden brown.
- With a slotted spoon, remove the crispy and golden fried pakora and drain the extra oil.
- On kitchen paper towels, place the fried bread pakoda so that excess oil is absorbed. The remaining bread pakodas should also be fried in the same way. Remove them to paper towels to remove excess oil.
- Pakoras should be served hot or warm.
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[equipments]Notes
- Make sure the potatoes you use are high in starch, such as Idaho or Russet potatoes. New potatoes and potatoes with a gummy texture should not be used.
- Gram Flour is flour made from chana dal that has been husked and split, which is used in most Indian fritter recipes. Gram Flour is sometimes known as Bengal Gram as well. Chickpeas that are hulled and split are basically brown chickpeas. So, there’s no reason you cannot use chickpea flour (made from white chickpeas like garbanzo beans or Kabuli chana).
- The recipe can be modified by adding different combinations of spices and herbs to both the besan batter and the potato stuffing. It can also be spiced with fresh herbs like mint leaves, cilantro (coriander leaves), ginger, garlic, and ground cumin or ground coriander powder, red chili powder, black pepper powder, curry powder, or garam masala.
- Fry the pakoda at medium heat to avoid oily pakoda. Don’t fry at a low temperature as this will cause the pakoda to absorb more oil. The pakoda will brown and cook from the outside but remain raw on the inside if fried on high heat.
To make the pakoda crisp, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of hot oil to the besan batter. This reduces oil absorption. - Make your batter with a medium consistency. If the batter is thick, it will not be fluffy or soft on the outside. The sogginess of the pakoda is caused by a thin batter that absorbs too much oil.
- Making the potato stuffing some hours or a day ahead and refrigerating it is the best way to make bread pakoda for morning breakfasts or evening snacks.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
- Method: Stove-Top
- Cuisine: Indian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 people
- Calories: 455Kcal
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 1067mg
- Fat: 17g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 55gm
- Fiber: 11g
- Protein: 16g
- Cholesterol: 2mg
Note: A rough estimate of nutrition is provided.
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