Khatte Meethe Pakode(Sweet and Sour Fritters)

Winters bring a whole lot of joy to a foodie!They experiment without the hassle of having to cook in the heat,can make recipes high in calorie as well as prepare spicy treats to add too the body warmth.The following recipe does just that because adding to the fact that its absolutely lip smacking it ensures that your tummy fills up and the taste of the delicious chutney lingers for a couple of hours making you feel very satisfied.Three cheers to comfort food!

This recipe was featured in a Hindi magazine way back in 1988 when I was a tiny tot.I used to keep clippings of such recipes and I used to stick them in a long notebook specially bought for this purpose.This recipe was contributed by a lady named Snehlata Deswal.If she is reading this post then thank you from the bottom of my heart as this recipe has grown to be a huge hit with family and friends.

Instead of Potatoes,Raw Banana is used which gives a wonderful taste.However there are  things to be followed:

1.You will be serving this with sweet and sour chutney with a sprinkling of Chaat Masala.Now Chaat Masala already contains salt so limit the amount of salt in the batter as you would not want to end up with too salty Pakoras.

2.Slice the Raw Banana thinly as you would do Potato Chips.If you find this difficult then use a tool called a Mandoline or what is available as Chipser in the Anjali brand of gadgets.

3.Make the Pakoras immediately after making the batter.We are adding baking powder to the batter for fluffier Pakoras.If kept for more than 5 minutes the resulting Pakoras would absorb a lot of oil.

Now let us make the delicious Pakoras.

Preparation Time – 3 hours(Including Chutney making time)

Makes – 20-25 Pakoras

INGREDIENTS

6 medium sized Raw Bananas

1 1/2 cups Gram Flour(besan)

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp Rice Flour

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Red Chili Powder

Water as required

Oil for deep frying

For sprinkling on top:

Chaat Masala as required

2 tbsp Coriander Leaves – very finely Chopped

For the sweet and sour Chutney:

1/2 cup soaked Tamarind

2 tsp Himalayan Black Salt(Kala Namak)

1/4 cup powdered jaggery/brown sugar

2 tbsp Raisins

2 tsp Ginger Powder(Sonth)

METHOD

Make the Chutney first:

Prior to the Pakoras make the Chutney:

Strain the Tamarind water into a saucepan.Add 2 cups of water to the soaked Tamarind again and squeeze out and strain the water.Now place the pan on heat and bring to a boil.Add the jaggery/brown sugar and salt.Mix well and add the Raisins and Ginger Powder.Reduce it to approximately half the volume.Take off heat and keep aside to cool.

Make the Pakoras:

Peel and slice the Raw Bananas into thin chips.Dry them in the Sun for 15-20 minutes.

Drying the Raw Banana Slices in the Sun

After drying for 20 minutes

In case this is not possible dry them in an oven or just keep them in open air.

For the batter mix all the ingredients with sufficient water to make a smooth and of dropping consistency like for example a Dosa batter.

Heat oil and when sufficiently hot,dip the Raw Banana slices in the batter and immerse them in the hot oil.When fried on one side,flip them over and fry the other side as well.

Deep fry the Pakoras till they are golden brown.

Serve:

When serving,arrange some Pakoras on a plate and sprinkle with the Chaat Masala and Coriander Leaves.Either drizzle the Chutney on top or place it on the side as a dip.

Serve hot with fresh tea.