Indian paneer Pakoras - Pakodas
Bajjia - Fritters

Finger foods - Appetizers - Snacks
Starters Recipe

Paneer pakoras or pakodas or Indian cottage cheese fritters is a quick snack item. Serve it as a starter/finger food/ appetizer. If you like paneer, you are going to love this.

Paneer is Indian cottage cheese. It is available in flat, square slabs in the market. Paneer is used very commonly in making snacks, curries, sweets etc.

Paneer - Panir - Indian cottage cheese

Making for guests or for family members, paneer pakoda or paneer pakora, is a welcome snack on a wet rainy day or a cold winter day.

Paneer pakoda is also a good accompaniment for lunch or dinner. It is best served hot but is still good even if served at room temperature.

Paneer pakoda can also be packed for lunch along with chapati/phulka or rice.

You may use homemade paneer or store bought paneer.

If using homemade paneer, make sure paneer is hard enough to cut into triangles, squares or fingers the way store bought paneer is. It it is too soft, it will crumble while cutting in shapes. We do not want that to happen.

How to make Indian paneer Pakoras - Paneer pakodas - paneer fritters

Ingredients for paneer pakoda to make 15-20 pakodas

paneer cut into thick triangles, squares or fingers - 15 - 20 pieces
Oil for deep frying.

Ingredients for making batter

Besan - Chana dal/ chickpea flour- 1 cup
Rice flour - 1 tbsp
Salt - 1 tsp or according to taste
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp

Optional ingredients for batter

Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Green chilies chopped fine - 4-5

Preparation for pakoda:

Making pakora batter

Add besan / gram flour to a bowl. Add rice flour, salt, chili power, chopped chili pieces, ginger garlic paste, if adding to besan and mix well.
Heat 1 tbsp oil and add the hot oil to the dry mixed flour. Mix well.
Add enough water to make a thick batter. Batter should have a dosa/pancake batter consistency.

Frying paneer pakoda - paneer fritters

Heat oil in a kadai/wok for deep frying. Keep the flame medium. When oil is hot, dip each paneer in the prepared batter and drop carefully in the hot oil. You can add 4-5 or more pakoda at a time depending on the size of your kadhai (fryer) and the amount of oil you are using.
Fry till the pakodas are golden brown all over. Turn the pakoras once in a while so that they will be fried evenly.
Remove from oil after draining well. Fry all the pakoda in the same way.

Serve hot by itself or with your favorite chutney or chili sauce or tomato ketchup.

Tips and variations for making paneer pakora

The cut paneer slices should not be very thin.
You may sprinkle some chaat masala on pakodas before serving if you wish.
Add 1/4 tsp garam masala to batter for variation.
Adding just salt and red chili powder makes the basic pakoda batter tasty too. Other spices are optional.
Instead of hot oil, you may add a pinch of soda bicarb to the batter just before frying pakodas.