Getting Ready for the Holidays
Growing up, I had two distinct, yet parallel lives.
As a first generation American, I grew up enjoying soccer practice, Girl Scouts and camping trips; read stories on the Bernstein Bears, Little House on the Prairie and Nancy Drew; and embraced Easter egg hunts, Halloween costumes and Christmas concerts.
On the other hand, proud of our Indian heritage, my parents taught me how to celebrate and share our culture and traditions. I enjoyed a vegetarian diet, trips to India and conversations in Gujarati; heard stories on Krishna, Shiva and Hanuman; and embraced Diwali celebrations and Holi festivals.
The one common thread I really enjoyed between my life as an Indian, an American, a vegetarian, a soccer fan, a Christmas gift giver and the Diwali celebrator….was the food :). As much as I loved celebrating birthday sleepovers with pizza and cake, I equally loved the dinner parties that my parents would throw which would involve a much more labor-intensive feast with anywhere from 4-10 homemade, traditional indian dishes and desserts.
I also loved having the opportunity to grow up with two festive seasons in the year. Our Indian holidays are based on a lunar calendar, while “American’ holidays are obviously based on a solar calendar. So that meant we would greet October with a slew of Indian holidays that would lead up to Diwali, our Indian New Year. And then immediately move into November celebrating and getting ready for the holidays leading up to the western New Year. Needless to say the fall is an extremely busy time in our household!
We’re currently in that period of festive Indian holidays. Last week we celebrated Navratri (a nine-day festival dedicated to the divine mother) and next weekend we’ll be celebrating our Indian New Year’s and the various festive ceremonies and traditions we observe that lead up to that day.
Corn Pakoras for Diwali
So in honor of these festivities, this week I’m going to share one of my favorite recipes, Corn Pakoras. Once you have all the ingredients, these little guys come together pretty easily. Sometimes the idea of deep-frying like I share in the recipe below feels like a bigger project than I want to take on or I just want to enjoy a light option. So instead of deep-frying, I just pan fry these as flat little fritters. Regardless, both ways make for a little party in the mouth :)…especially when served with Cilantro Chutney.
If you grew up with a multi-cultural background, I’d love to hear what your favorite holidays were, how you celebrated them through food and balanced them within the context of American culture! So leave a comment below! 🙂
Enjoy,
Kajal
- 1 cup garbanzo bean flour
- ½ cup Bob’s Red Mill GF 1:1 Baking Flour
- 1 cup corn (canned or frozen)
- ½ cup fresh spinach, finely chopped
- ⅓ cup cilantro, finely chopped
- 1½ teaspoon ginger, finely grated
- 1 teaspoon fresh jalapeño, finely grated (or more if you like spicy)
- 1½ teaspoon salt
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon asafoetida
- ⅓ cup onion, finely chopped, optional
- ½ -3/4 cup water (consistency should be thick like cottage cheese, not pancake batter)
- Vegetable oil as needed for deep-frying or pan frying.
- Combine all dry ingredients and gently whisk.
- Add ½ cup water and gently mix with a spoon or spatula until fully combined.
- Then add corn, spinach, cilantro, ginger and jalapeño and gently mix again. If the batter is too thick, add enough water so that it looks and feels like cottage cheese consistency. (Be careful not to add to much water or the batter will become too thin to drop in the oil properly.)
- In a medium size, deep frying pan, heat oil on medium heat. To test the oil drop a little batter (chocolate-chip size amount) into oil. If it immediately surfaces to the top, then the oil is ready. If it just sinks, the oil is hot enough. Once oil is ready, gently drop batter into oil using a teaspoon. In my fry pan, I can usually fit 6-8 fritters. Wait 1 minute before gently turning the fritter over. Fry until golden brown.
- Remove the fritters with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels to remove excess oil.
- Serve pakora hot with a side of cilantro chutney or ketchup.
- Enjoy!
In a large, non-stick skillet heat 1 tbsp oil on medium heat. Once oil is hot, gently drop batter into skillet using a teaspoon. In my fry pan, I can usually fit 6-8 fritters. Then dab a little oil on each fritter. Wait 1 minute or until the bottom feels firm, before gently turning the fritter over. Cook until fritter is completely golden brown.
Hi could you please tell me how to make these with out wheat flour.
I have celiac disease
Thank you
Carolyn Sauers
Hi Carolyn,
This recipe is 100% gluten free :)! The batter is made from chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour + instead of all-purpose white flour, I suggest using Bob’s Red Mill, gluten free, 1:1 All Purpose Flour. Let me know if you have any other questions! Hope you enjoy :).