Ingredients

1. Besan (gram flour) – 1 cup
2. Palak (spinach) – 1 cup full or 40 gms
3. Onion – 1 (medium) or 85 gms
4. Green chilli – 1 (thin and small) or 1 tsp (chopped)
5. Ginger – 1 tsp
6. Chilli powder – 1/4 tsp
7. Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
8. Baking soda – 1/4 tsp
9. Salt - as per taste
10. Coriander leaves (chopped) – 1/3 cup
11. Fennel seeds – 1/2 tsp
12. Cumin seeds – 1/4 tsp
13. Ajwain (carom seeds) – 1/4 tsp
14. Coriander seeds – 1/2 tsp
15. Water – 1/2 cup

Method

1. I have used baby spinach for making the pakoras. Wash, drain and allow it to dry or use a kitchen towel to absorb the water. Chop the spinach leaves and keep it ready.
2. Chop onion, ginger, green chillies and coriander leaves. Keep them aside.
3. Crush the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, ajwain and fennel seeds lightly to a coarse texture by crushing them in a pestle and mortar. Do not grind too much to make a powder. You should be able to see the ingredients.
4. Take a wide bowl. First add all the dry ingredients: besan, soda, salt, chilli powder, turmeric powder and the crushed spices. Mix well.
5. Now add all the other ingredients: onion, green chillies, coriander leaves and spinach. Mix well.
6. Mix to get to a thick batter (not watery) by adding water - a very little at a time. Leave for 15 to 20 mins to let the soda do its magic to make the fritters swell more (optional).
7. Heat oil in a kadai. When hot, reduce the flame to medium, add small portion of the batter/mixture to the oil with the help of a spoon or with the help of your fingers.
8. Turn them occasionally to get a golden brown colour on your palak pakora.
9. Do not over crowd your kadai with pakoras.
10. Deep fry them in small batches with sufficient space to turn the pakoras.
11. Serve palak pakora immediately when hot or warm with hari chutney (green chutney) or ketchup for kids.

Notes

1. Do not cook the pakoras on high flame as it will be raw from inside or on low flame as it will absorb excessive oil.
2. While making batter, add less water first as spinach and onion leave water. Then later on you can add water as per the requirement.
3. Add chillies as per your taste.