RECIPE: Broccoli Pakora & Sour Cherry & Date Chutney
Are you needing a little bro-mance in your bro-coli relationship? This pakora recipe will add a little spice into the mix and are accompanied by a delicious sour cherry and date chutney to sweeten the deal.
The broccoli in these pakoras is left in florets which gives the dish texture and leaves it less doughy than a traditional pakora.
And because love isn’t selfish, this a great dish for sharing!
Enjoy : )
Broccoli Pakora & Sour Cherry Chutney
Broccoli Pakora (serves 4)
- 1 Broccoli head
- 100g Chickpea flour
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp curry powder (mild or adjust chilli content to taste)
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder (for mild)
- 1 tsp ginger powder (can use fresh also)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1-2 tsp salt (pepper to taste)
- 1 tbsp lime/lemon juice
- 100-150ml (1/2 cup) water
- 300g coconut oil
Sour Cherry & Date Chutney (serves 4+)
- 100g sour cherries (1/2 cup)
- 100g dates (1/2 cup)
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp ginger powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 100g coconut sugar (add more dates to substitute)
Broccoli Pakora
Mix the chickpea powder and all the spices etc (i.e. everything except the broccoli and coconut oil) until the consistency of pancakes batter (add more water or chickpea powder if necessary). Set aside for 30 mins to relax and allow starch to settle.
Cut the broccoli head into little florets (with the head about 3 cm in diameter).
Heat the coconut oil in a small saucepan (if you use a larger pan you may need to use more oil in order to get it deep enough i.e. deeper than the size of your broccoli florets) to 180°C. If you don’t have a thermometer, just put a chopstick (or failing that a piece of rice or a slither of broccoli) and look for bubble coming up off it. This means the oil is the correct temp.
Fry for approx 2 minutes on each side or until perfectly golden – here is an article about good frying technique. You may want to add a little sprinkle of salt if you are eating them warm and crunchy.
If you are planning to eat them cold then we advise cooking a little less to leave a little crunch in the broccoli as the crunch from the batter will disappear quite quickly, due to the moisture of the broccoli.
Sour Cherry Chutney
Put all of the ingredients in a pot and cook for 20 minutes.
Leave to cool down if possible and put into a blender and whizz until a fine paste (depending on your blender you may need to add more water). You may need to put back onto the heat to boil down the excess water if you have added more. It should coat the back of a spoon thinly.
