Kale, Red Onion, and Cheddar Pakoras (Air Fryer)

I have created a pretty scrumptious take on my Collard and Cheddar Pakoras.  Except that I used kale, red onions and carrots. And I air fried these crispy morsels.  They taste pretty good served piping hot!  We love pakoras in our house, you can tell just my searching for pakoras on this site.  Getting them to an acceptable form in the air fryer has taken me several attempts.  Just when I was satisfied with these, I got the flu. But, I am almost bouncing back and have to share my recipe and tips and techniques with you.

My Cheddar Pakora Story

You can use any green of your choice, I find adding the red onions lends a natural touch of sweetness, like I have done with Kale Pakoras here, and Pumpkin Pakoras here. While it is great not to have the guilt associated with the frying. The real advantage here is that

Now, here is what I did to ensure a good crispy coating.  As with anything, when adapting a recipe for an apliance you have to make the necessary changes to get the best results.

Essential tips and tricks to nail these pakoras.

• Add a mixture of rice flour, cornstarch and chickpea flour. This ensures a crispier result than just working with chickpea flour.
• Use a lighter batter, just enough to help bind the vegetables.
• Shred the vegetables finely. Do not use a food processor for the onions, as they result in too much moisture.
• Line the air fryer basket with parchment paper if you wish, this will make clean up even easier.

I have not tried this recipe in the oven, but I have tried making this frying instead of air frying. Of course somewhat messier, but I will lot lie the fried ones do taste good but the air fried ones are a pretty close contender.

If you like this recipe and want more ideas, do join my Indian Instant Pot Facebook group and Legume Love Group.

Of course, check out my Instant pot cookbook Instant Indian along with its siblings The Bengali Five Spice Chronicles and Spices and Seasons.