Corn Pakora, Baked, No Oil

admin November 27, 2021November 27, 2021

Corn Pakora, Baked, No Oil

These Corn Pakora Fritters are amazing: they are crispy, crunchy, delicious and healthy, and they are completely free of any added oils. A vegan, soy-free, nut-free and gluten-free recipe.

In case you’ve noticed, I’ve been doing the oil-free thing more often in my recipes — more often than usual, that is, because I’ve racked up quite a few no-oil recipes in the archives over the years. One of our family favorites is my recipe for these vegan Corn Fritters, which are crispy, savory and delicious and can be made with little to no oil. These Corn Pakora Fritters, made the Indian way, are a new favorite.

If you know what a pakora is, you know that although this Indian recipe starts out with a base of healthy chickpea flour mixed with veggies and spices, all of that healthfulness is ultimately drowned in a pot of hot oil. While I am all for a deep-fried pakora occasionally, because there’s hardly any food that can match such deliciousness, I prefer, for everyday eats, to simply bake my pakoras. In the past, I’ve shared some baked pakora recipes with you, like my Asparagus Pakoras.

This baked corn pakora fritter is as good as the real thing — no, better, because it is good for you. They turn golden and crispy at the edges, and if you use sweet corn, the spicy batter complements the sweetness of the corn very nicely. If you don’t want to bake them, you can make them in a pan too.

If you want a more traditional pakora shape, use an abelskiver pan to cook the corn pakora fritter in very little or no oil.

Ingredients

2 cups corn kernels, use fresh or frozen. If using frozen, thaw first.
10 tablespoon chickpea flour or besan
½ cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, coarsely powdered
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoon coriander leaves, finely chopped
2 tablespoon crushed kasoori methi (dry fenugreek leaves), optional
Salt to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place all ingredients in a bowl and add enough water to make a thick batter (I used about ⅔rds of a cup of water.
Mix well with a whisk, making sure you incorporate all ingredients and there are no lumps of chickpea flour remaining.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray. Using a tablespoon measure, drop dollops of batter on the baking sheet, about ½ inch apart.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, flipping over once halfway through baking.
If doing this in a pan, use a good nonstick skillet or, if using a cast iron pan, spray lightly with cooking spray. Proceed to drop dollops of the batter ½ inch apart on the pan. Cook until the edges start to turn golden and dry, then flip and cook a couple minutes more.

Nutrition