These Pakoras with Collards and Corn are not a new idea. They’re our answer to vegetable fritters. We love vegetable fritters, but the batter is too loose and messy for the air fryer, which needs a more stable, dependable batter. Pakoras are typically deep-fried, which is not something we do at home – too much trouble. These pakoras may be a tad bit heathier, and are certainly a lot easier that traditional fried vegetable fritters or pakoras.
Pakoras are also typically made with chickpea flour, but Ron can’t digest bean protein, so I have to mix it up. I use a mixture of King Arthur Measure for Measure flour, sorghum flour, and a bit of psyllium husk powder for body.
So these Pakoras with Collards and Corn aren’t really pakoras at all – they’re not fried and they’re not made with chickpea flour! But they are delicious, filled with whatever vegetables you have on hand. Add a mint yogurt sauce, sriracha mayo, or an Avocado Dipping Sauce, and they are supremely satisfying as a meal or just a snack.
Pakoras with Collards and Corn
Ingredients
- 9 leaves collard greens
- 1/2 cup King Arthur Measure for Measure flour
- 1/4 cup sorghum flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca starch
- 1 T sweet rice flour
- 1/2 t psyllium husk powder
- 2 t ground cumin
- 1 t turmeric
- pinch red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper
- 3 T olive oil (plus more for spraying)
- 1/3 cup grated cheddar cheese
- 1 cup fresh corn, off the cob (about 1 cob)
Instructions
- Prep the collards – Destem the leaves. Blanche the leaves in boiling water for five minutes, then rinse them under cold running water to stope the cooking. Lay the leaves in a stack, and slice into 2" ribbons.
- Mix the dry ingredients and the oil – whisk together the flours, tapioca starch, psyllium husk powder and spices. Add a generous amount of salt and pepper. Stir in 3 T of oil and then mix together with your fingers, pinching the dough to infuse every last bit of dry ingredients wit the oil.
- Mix in the vegetables and cheese – Mix in the vegetables and the cheese. The mixture will look crumbly. Then add water, one tablespoon at a time, squeezing the mixture each time to see if it will hold together. I added a total of 4 tablespoons, and it was perfect.
- Shape the pakoras – Roll a bit of the pakora batter in your hands to create a ball the size of a golf ball. Then gently smash the ball into a patty shape, tidying the edges as you go. This makes nine patties for me. Spritz both sides of the pakoras generously with olive oil.
- Air fry the pakoras – Line your air fry the a piece of aluminum foil. Cook the pakoras at 400℉ for sixteen minutes, turning once. Serve right away with your dipping sauce of choice.
I love to eat these Pakoras with Collards and Corn while they’re still warm and crunchy. I suspect that they’d be very good left-over at room temperature. But I wouldn’t know, because there are never any left over! You take that last one. No, YOU take that last one. OK, well if you insist….