Pakora are tasty snacks made of bite size chunks of food fried in batter. Snacks play an important part in an Indian household. They can become nibbles for the summer afternoons when the evening meal will be late to avoid the heat of the day. Friends and relatives may visit at any hour of the day and it is customary for the host to offer them something to eat and drink. In turn it would be rude for the guest to refuse even if he wasn't hungry so pakora and samosas are ideal snacks because they are small and tasty. Even the guest who is not hungry can manage a bite-sized morsal and then everyone is happy. Unfortunately outside India they have taken on the role of starters which means that their delicate flavours are overshadowed by the heavier main courses that follow. Most Indian snacks can be eaten freely by someone with candida and many are made with gram flour (made from chickpeas) making them ideal for non-wheat days. Cooking cauliflower pakoras is a two stage process because the florets are too big to cook in one go. They will be burnt on the outside whilst the inside is still hard. Aloo (potato) pakoras can be made with the one step process by slicing the potatoes thinly.

Ingredients: makes a lot

one cauliflower
5 heaped tabs gram flour
1/4 tsp salt
water
oil to deep frying
pinch of chilli powder (optional)

Method:

Remove the outer leaves and then break the cauliflower into small florets, button mushrom size would be ideal. Wash well then leave to drain while you prepare the batter. Occassionally pinch pieces and eat them. (I took these notes whilst my Indian husband was cooking and that is what he does)

Place 5 heaped tablespoons of gram flour in a bowl and mix in the salt and a pinch of chilli powder for a bit of bite. Slowely add filtered water with one hand as you mix with the other. Mixing with the hands and sqaushing the lumps betweeen the fingers is a far superior way to get a smooth batter but if this method offends you then use a spoon. Mix well to ensure you have a smooth batter similar in consistancy to a pancake batter.

Place enough oil in a wok or saucepan to allow the florets to submerge (about3ins) The amount of oil needed will depend upon the diameter of the pan. Heat oil over a high heat for several minutes while you pinch another piece of cauliflower to eat. The oil will be hot enough when a pea sized piece of cauliflower or a drop of batter dropped in rises up to the surface immediately. Remove your test pieces with a slotted spoon before you start or they will burn.

Step one

Hold a floret of cauliflower by the stalk, dip into the batter then drop into the oil. Continue with another four or five depending again on the diameter of the pan, they should not be squashed together or they will not cook properly. When they are brown all over remove with the slotted spoon and place on a dish or plate. At this point you may reduce the heat slightly to keep the temperature of the oil constant. Continue the above process until all the cauliflower pieces have been cooked. Turn down the temperature of the oil while the cauliflower cools for five minutes.

Step two

Bring the oil back up to the original temperature. One by one take a piece of cauliflower, place in the palm of one hand and them squash with the palm of the other. Place them in the hot oil cooking a few at a time as before. When dark brown remove and cool. After all the pakoras have been cooked the batter left can be poured through the holes in the slotted spoon into the oil to make pearl sized crunchy pieces.

(Courtsey Nutritional Therapist: pam@candidadiet.com)

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