Bread Pakora Recipe (Bread Pakoda)

Bread pakora, also often referred to as bread pakoda, is a trendy North Indian breakfast & tea-time snack consisting of bread slices, potatoes, and spices along with gram flour and other herbs. Bread pakora is not an everyday item in Indian households, but they are standard on the roadsides of India, especially in Mumbai.

They are also available in eateries, cafes, restaurant tiffin places, and tiffin stores across India. It is also available as another South Indian version known as bread bajji, made in a similar method, however, without the potato stuffing.

About Bread Pakora

Bread Pakora is bread slices dipped in the spiced flour of gram, then fritted. They are a popular North Indian street food and can be eaten as breakfast. The bread pakora can be made in two methods. The most popular is the potato-flavored stuffing between two bread slices, and it is something similar to sandwiches. Then it is dipped into a gram flour batter and deep-fried to crisp. They are, in essence, fried sandwich sandwiches and served with a hot and tangy potato filling.

Another way to make bread pakora is to dip bread triangular in batter, then deep fry them. The bread triangles are known as bajji in South India.

About the Recipe

My easy recipe can help you prepare crisp, street-style pakoras from scratch. While the street versions have them deep-fried, you can also bake, shallow fry, or air fry them.

I’ve explained how to make potato stuffing, filling, and frying the potatoes. In addition, I’ve changed the recipe for shallow-frying these in a tawa; bake them and then air fry them for the healthiest option.

Making bread pakoras in the deep fryer is quicker than other options since they consume some time. Ensure to fry them deep when making lots, such as for a vast gathering or family.

It is easy to adapt this recipe to make basic bread pakoras. Don’t bother making the filling. Cut the bread slices in diagonals and then dip them into the batter for pakora. After that, fry them in the manner stated on the menu.

The stuffed bread pakodas can be created similar to bread rolls and bread bonda; however, they aren’t the same. Crispy fried and delicious bread pakoras are packed with calories and great for dinner or a snack for parties. Serve these with coriander-based Chutney of green, Chutney, Mint Chutney, or even red garlic.

How to make Bread Pakora?

Prepare Potato Stuffing

Cook, steam, or boil three medium-sized potatoes until they are ready to be cooked. Don’t overcook them because they will become to be soggy. I cook them in a pressure cooker. Also, you can use a steamer or boil them in a pot with just a little water.

Pressuring the entire potato in a cooker for between 2 and three minutes is also possible. Once the pressure has been released, take them off and inspect them. They must be fork-tender. Put the potatoes on a trivet to boil them in a pressure cooker. Then, pressurize them to cook them for 5 – seven minutes, depending on the dimensions.

When the potatoes are cool to a certain degree, remove the skin. I’ve used a few green peas that I cooked alongside the potatoes. It is possible to skip them if you don’t like them. Put them aside until cool. Mash them well using an abrasive.

Infuse 1 teaspoon of oil into an oven. In a pan, add 1 teaspoon of ginger, one or 2 green chilies chopped, and 1 sprig of curry leaves. North Indian bread pakora is not made with mustard but is available in different regions. If you’d like, you can include 1/4 teaspoon of mustard seeds in this recipe.
Cook them all till aromatic. Remove the pan from the flame.
Mix 1/8 teaspoon of hing, 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, and 1 teaspoon garam masala. Mix thoroughly.
Mix the potatoes with the mash, add 1/2 teaspoon salt, and mix thoroughly. It is also possible to add coriander leaves and squeeze the juice of a lemon. Check the taste, and add salt as needed.

Make Bread Pakora

Set the bread pieces on a table and put the potato masala on top. It is also possible to spread the green Chutney initially and then apply the spices to the potatoes.
Then, cover with a second slice of bread. Also, you can apply green Chutney to bread slices.
The bread slices should be pressed well to ensure they are stable for the stuffing. Cut them across the diagonal.
Also, prepare the entire bread stuffed with. Put them aside.

Fry Bread Pakora

Start heating the oil in a large pan. I used approximately 1 cup of oil to cook to fry. It is possible to shallow fry as well as deep-fry. In a mixing bowl, put the following ingredients:

3/4 cup besan
1 teaspoon powder of red chili
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of ajwain ( carom seeds)
1 teaspoon salt
2-3 tablespoons rice flour or cornstarch
1 teaspoon of turmeric

Mix the ingredients thoroughly. Add water exactly as much to form an even batter.
The consistency should be comparable to that of the chili bajji batter.

Frying

Verify that the oil is already hot. To check this, drop a small amount of batter into the oil. The batter should rise slowly but not browning too much. That is a reasonable temperature. If the oil appears finished, let it stay at a moderate flame before proceeding.
Then, gently move the bread into a bowl and dip it in the batter. Be sure to coat it along the sides too. Place your fingers on the two edges, then lift them off the batter. The batter should be swabbed gently.
Drop the oil into hot water. Don’t disturb it for a few minutes. If you use a considerable pan, you can fry between 2 and 3 times in a single batch.
At medium heat, Cook until one side becomes golden. After that, flip it on the opposite side, and cook until both sides become shiny and crisp. Take them out into a colander.
To fry the subsequent batches of pakoras made from bread, ensure your oil is hot but not too hot. The oil should be medium-hot. Serve hot bread pakoras along with green Chutney or a sauce.

Chutney to make bread pakora

Ingredients

1 cup coriander leaves
1/2 cup pudina/mint leaves
1 tablespoon fried or roast grams / Dalia
1/2 tsp jeera/ cumin
Salt when required
2 to 3 spicy green chilies
A few drops of juice from a lemon
1/4 inch ginger
1 – 2 small to medium garlic cloves
As needed, lemon juice

How to make it?

Mix all of the ingredients with 2 tablespoons water. Mix in lemon juice. It is ready to serve.

Ingredients & substitutes

Bread: It is possible to use any bread you like apart from soft-milk bread. Because the bread is sprayed with batter and then fried, the bread pakoras won’t absorb oil, even when using freshly made bread.

If you plan to fry them on a grill or bake, use thick slices of bread, which don’t contain huge pores. Bread with bigger pores is likely to take in the batter and may not cook properly with this method.

Potatoes: These street-style bread pakoras come with a filling consisting of boiling potatoes. Sometimes, I include mixed vegetables like peas, carrots, and some paneer.

Cheese: The kids in my family love an extra slice of mozzarella cheese to the filling. It is possible to add small cubes of cheese. Be sure to use the cheese at room temperature so that they melt once the pakoras are cooked.

Garam masala, turmeric, and red chili powder are the ingredients used to fill potatoes. In the batter, carom seeds (ajwain) are used similarly to other recipes for pakora. The recipe can be adjusted with all the spices according to your preferences.

Gram flour is the primary ingredient in making all pakoras. Select a high-quality besan, either coarse or fine. The coarser besan adds additional crunch to your deep-fried pakoras.

Rice flour or cornstarch can provide an icy texture to the bread fritters. If you don’t possess both, then just cut it out.

Lemon juice or amchur: A street-style bread pakoras are made with amchur (dried mango powder) as a filling. If you don’t possess it, squeeze lemon juice in or skip them altogether.

Pro Tips

Potatoes: Cook the potatoes only until they are cooked, not mushy and soggy. Cooking them too long will render them spongy, which won’t work well with the stuffing. Therefore, it’s best to simmer them in an oven, steamer, or even an instant cooker.

Consistency of batter: Consistency of the batter is crucial. It should not be too thick or runny. If the batter is runny bread pakoras, they will take up plenty of oil. The consistency of the batter must not be too thick and thin.

Frying: The key is to use a gentle touch when you dip the sandwich in the batter and when transferring it into the oil. The bread pakoras must be cooked at moderate heat for a few minutes until golden and crisp.

Frying them over a hot flame can quickly brown them on the outside, but not cook the batter thoroughly. Therefore, the heat should be at a medium temperature. The fish will absorb extra oil if you cook them at a shallow temperature.

Pan Frying

If you plan to cook the bread pakoras, mix the batter in a spreadable consistency, not the consistency of a pour. I’ve demonstrated consistency within the besan toast article. It’s the same way.

Prepare a non-stick or prepared pan by adding 1 tablespoon of oil. Pour it across. Ensure the pan is warm enough, or the batter could be stuck.

Place the bread sandwich on a plate and put it in the batter that you have prepared. Only coat it on one side. The batter side is down in the hot pan. The bread pakora will cook until golden and crisp.

After that, reduce the flame to the lowest setting and pour the batter you made on the other side. Then, spread it out then carefully flip it over to another side with two spatulas.

I typically add a tablespoon of oil and fry them on the opposite side. Sometimes I fry 2 pakoras of bread in my cast-iron grille.

Ensure to carefully press the bread down into the pan so that all batter not cooked in the bread’s pores cooks appropriately. Cook them on both sides until crispy.

To Bake & Air fry

The batter is prepared similarly to the method I described to fry on a tawa. There are two methods to bake or air fry pakora bread. Here is one method and another in the recipe card that follows. I’ve tested both methods, and they both produce different results.

Dip bread slices in the batter on both sides, then place them in the bread crumbs. The batter’s moisture will help absorb the breadcrumbs. Make all the bread pakoras the same way.

Be careful with these because the batter and breadcrumbs are much more likely to be smashed when you manage them properly.

Set them up on a rack with wires within a preheated 180C oven or in an air fryer. Bake them or bake them or air fry them for eight minutes and then check. They are usually baked for between 10 and 12 minutes in the oven and then 8 mins in the air fryer. It also depends on the quality of the batter.

Bread Pakora

Ingredients (Us Cup = 240ml )

6 slices bread
oil to fry deep or shallow

For the Stuffing

1 1/2 cups potato cubed (3 medium)
1 cup of green peas (optional)
1 tablespoon oil
1 clove curry leaves (optional)
1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
2 chilies cut into pieces
One teaspoon of ginger powder
3 tablespoons of coriander leaves, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon of red chili powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/8 teaspoon of turmeric
1 teaspoon of salt (adjust according to your taste)
1 teaspoon of lemon juice, depending on the need

For the Batter

3/4 cup gram flour (besan) (can use coarse besan for crunch)
2-3 tablespoons Rice flour (or cornstarch)
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1/8 teaspoon of turmeric
1/4 teaspoon salt (adjust the amount to suit your needs)
1/2 – 3 teaspoons carom seeds, or vaamu or ajwain
The water you need is available

Cooking Steps & Instructions

Make Stuffing

Cook or steam potatoes until the potatoes are cooked without making them mushy.
It is also possible to boil potatoes in a pressure cooker to cook them for two whistles. I prefer steaming the potatoes as it’s easy to monitor.
It is possible to skip the green peas. If you do, then cook the green peas with the potatoes.
Once done, peel them and mix them thoroughly before placing them aside.
Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a skillet
After that, sauté in green chilies, ginger, and curry leaves (optional) until it smells delicious. Switch off the burner.
Mix in garam masala, as well as turmeric. Mix thoroughly.
Move the mashed potatoes, peas, half a teaspoon salt, and coriander leaves. You can squeeze lemon juice If you would like. Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Test the taste and add salt as needed.

How to Make Bread Pakora?

Lay 3 bread slices on a chopping board dish.
Optional If you’ve got the sauce or green Chutney, apply it to one or both slices.
Spread the potato masala on 3 slices of bread. Each slice is covered with a second one.
Cut each sandwich into two triangular pieces. Place them aside.
Cook oil in a pot to fry in shallow or deep. Use as little as you need if using the non-stick pan.
When the oil is heating, make the batter. In a separate bowl, mix besan, ajwain, and salt, as well as rice flour.
Add water to create a batter that is not too thick or too thin. The batter must be like Mirchi Bajji’s batter.
Make sure the oil is heated by dropping a small amount of batter into the oil. The batter should be rising and not brown. It is at the correct temperature.
Make sure to do this when the oil is prepared for cooking. Put each bread sandwich in the batter and slowly cover it in the batter, covering both sides. You may need to use both of your hands.
Clean the batter and Gently transfer it to the hot oil. Wait to stir it for at least an entire time.
It is possible to add two or more pakoras to one recipe, depending on the dimensions of your pan.
Pan fry bread pakoras at moderate temperature until golden on one side. After that, flip them on the other side to fry until both sides become crispy and golden. Take them to a colander or kitchen cloth.
Ensure the oil is medium-hot and not overly hot before you cook your next bread pakora if you need to reduce the flame’s heat before adding the next.
Serve the bread pakora hot or warm, accompanied by an asian green sauce or Chutney.

Bread Pakora in Air Fryer

In the case of air-frying, prepare the batter to be thin and then dip the sandwiches filled with potato into the batter. Sprinkle the batter on both sides. Then gently shake them and put them on parchment paper.
Bake at 200 C or 400 F for eight minutes. Remove the sand gently with a wooden spoon spatula and then turn it over to the opposite side. Continue to air fry for 6 – 7 minutes. Alter the timers a bit. The pakora bread covering needs the potential to become golden and crispy.