Slater Street Spinach Pakora

Spinach Pakora, Slater Street style, are a great savory. Easy to make, quick to fry, even quicker to disappear at the dinner table. Pakora are served with a tomato-mint yoghurt, or your favorite chutney. They can be eaten as either a tasty snack, or a filling side dish to accompany an Indian-inspired meal. Make them spicy to perk up the finickiest appetite! 

You'll need: For Pakora: 1 bunch spinach; 1 large onion; 3 small sweet peppers; 2 cloves garlic; 3 slices ginger root; 1 - 1.5 cups chick pea flour; 1 tablespoon curry powder; 1 teaspoon turmeric; 1/2 teaspoon chili powder; 1/2 teaspoon sugar; 1/4 teaspoon salt; oil for frying. For Mint-Tomato Yoghurt:

Mint leaves; 1 tomato; 1/2 teaspoon each: cumin, allspice, ground coriander, ground cloves, salt, cayenne pepper to taste; 1/4 cup thick plain yoghurt.

Method:

Peel onion and cut into large chunks. Remove stem end, seed and coarsely chop peppers; peel and chop garlic. Place vegetables in food processor with ginger root slices, and process 1 - 2 minutes until vegetables are in fine pieces. Wash spinach, add to processor and pulse two or three times until shredded and blended into mixture. 

 Put chopped vegetables in a large bowl with spices, sugar, and salt. Add chick pea flour and mix well. Shape mixture into small patties. Heat a generous amount of oil (I used 1/4 cup of grape seed oil) in a deep frying pan at a medium temperature. Do not let oil get too hot.

Add pakora patties a few at a time. Fry until golden to dark brown, turning once to cook evenly on both sides. Drain on absorbent paper, and keep warm until serving time. 

To Serve: Enjoy these delicacies with your favorite chutney or sauce.

To make the tomato-mint yoghurt, place 1 tablespoon of lightly chopped mint leaves, 1 diced tomato and 1/2 teaspoon cumin; 1/2 teaspoon allspice; 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander; 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves; salt and cayenne pepper to taste in a small bowl. Stir in 1/4 cup plain thick yoghurt, and let flavours marry for a short while before serving. 

For thoughts about mindful cooking, visit zen-cuisine:  a blog about food and the art of cooking.