Looking for a crispy and crunchy evening snack that comes together in minutes? This cashew pakora recipe is a must try!
Dubbed munthiri pakoda, these fritters are vegan, gluten-free and incredibly tasty, making for the perfect tea time snack.
Enjoy these crunchy fritters with some hot tea or serve them as a side dish with any of your favorite mains.
Nuts and seeds are probably the most nutrient dense foods out there, and I’ve recently been on a mission to use more of them in my recipes.
My Tajin nuts, spicy roasted cashews and chili lime pepitas have all been big hits, but I really wanted to try using them in a more offbeat, unique way.
And adding them in a classic pakora batter seemed like just the right thing to do!
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What's So Great About the Recipe?
I love this simple and easy recipe for lots of reasons.
The pakoras have an incredibly addictive crispiness to them, but that’s not all- they’re actually nutritious too.
And of course, you can prep them in advance too!
Ingredients For the Cashew Pakoda Recipe
To make the Kaju pakora, you’ll need just a few pantry staples.
Cashews: Start off with some good quality cashew nuts.
Onions: Sliced red onions help add some extra body to the pakoras. You can swap these with some potatoes if you want to.
Chickpea flour: Chickpea flour will form the coating for the pakoras. This one’s also called besan, and is easily available in most supermarkets.
Rice flour: I also added a bit of rice flour for that extra crunchiness. You can totally skip it if you don’t have it at hand.
Ginger paste: Fresh ginger paste lends a beautiful earthy aroma and flavor to the pakoras.
Spices: For spices, I used some turmeric powder (for that bright color), red chili powder, salt and a pinch of asafoetida.
Carom seeds: I also added some carom seeds for a bit of extra flavor. You can skip these if you don’t have them.
Green chillies: Chopped or minced green chillies add a nice spicy kick to the pakoras.
Curry leaves: Curry leaves lend the pakoras an incredibly delicious flavor. I would highly recommend using them.
Coriander leaves: I also added some chopped coriander leaves for some extra freshness and color.
Lime juice: Freshly squeezed lime juice helps balance all the other flavors well. Use vinegar if you don’t have lime juice.
Oil: And of course, you’ll need oil to deep fry the pakoras in.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Cashew Pakora
Once you have everything ready, here’s what you’ll need to do to make the pakodas.
Step 1: Start by finely chopping the coriander, green chillies and curry leaves and slicing the onions.
Step 2: In a small bowl, add the flours, spices and cashews.
Step 3: Add in all the rest of the ingredients.
Step 4: Mix well until you get a sticky and thick batter that is easy to portion out using your fingers.
Step 5: Heat oil in a Kadai or pot, slowly drop small portions of the pakoda mixture into it and cook,
Step 6: Drain the excess oil, transfer the pakoras to a serving platter and enjoy.
Substitutions & Variations
- Don’t have fresh ginger that the recipe calls for? Use ginger powder instead.
- To lend the pakoras a smoky flavor, add some mustard oil into the mix.
- Don’t have fresh coriander leaves? Use mint leaves or any other fresh herbs of your choice.
💭Top Tip
The mixture of besan and rice flour is what helps the pakodas get that crunchy texture. Make sure you don’t miss out on these two ingredients.
Equipment
How to Store Leftover Pakoras
I would recommend storing your leftover cashew pakoda in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
You can then reheat them in the microwave, but remember that they’ll not retain that crispy texture.
Air frying is another great option, but you’ll need to be careful, or you’ll risk burning the pakodas.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- The oil temperature actually matters a lot when it comes to getting the pakoras to be crisp and crunchy. Make sure the oil isn’t too hot or too cold, and cook them on medium flame, so that they’re cooked to perfection.
- Work in small batches to get the perfect golden brown color on the pakodas.
- Hot ghee can also be a great addition to the mixture for the cashews pakodas. This adds to its flavor and deliciousness. If you don’t want to use ghee, add 1 tablespoon hot oil into the mix.
- You don’t need to add any water into the pakoda dough mixture. If the mixture seems too stiff and dry, you can add a splash of water or some yogurt into it to get it to the right consistency.
- To get that authentic Indian taste, you can also add a pinch or two of garam masala powder into the mixture.
- Always fry the pakodas at medium heat. Doing this will ensure the perfect crisp texture and will also ensure that they turn golden, just the way you want them to be.
How to Serve Kaju Pakoras
The best way to serve these crispy cashew pakodas is to pair them with a nice dipping sauce or chutney.
I love teaming them up with my tomato peanut chutney or almond chutney.
If you’re making them as a tea time snack, you can also serve them with some classic Indian tea, dahi chana chaat and some crunchy masala peanuts.
FAQs
Yes! A great way to make the crispy cashew pakoda healthier is to air fry them instead of deep frying them. Make sure you leave a bit of space between each pakoda to get them to crisp up from all the sides.
You can make Kaju pakoda in the oven too! Place the battered cashew mixture on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake until they’re crispy.
To make the pakoras in advance, you can prepare the gram flour and spice mixture, store it in an airtight container and then add in the rest of the ingredients when you’re ready to make the pakoras.
Related Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Cashew Pakora (Cashew Pakoda)
Ingredients
- 1 cup cashews
- 1 red onion sliced
- 1 cup chickpea flour
- ¼ cup rice flour
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon carom seeds
- ½ teaspoon ginger chopped
- ⅛ teaspoon asafoetida
- 1-2 green chillies
- 1 tablespoon coriander chopped
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- Salt to taste
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- Start by finely chopping the coriander, green chillies and curry leaves and slicing the onions.
- In a small bowl, add the flours, spices and cashews.
- Add in all the rest of the ingredients.
- Mix well until you get a sticky and thick batter that is easy to portion out using your fingers.
- Heat oil in a kadai or pot, slowly drop small portions of the pakoda mixture into it and cook,
- Drain the excess oil, transfer the pakoras to a serving platter and enjoy.