A fun, hands-on foray into some classic Indian savoury snacks: crispy, gluten-free chickpea flour pakoras, and paranthas, delicious stuffed flatbreads. Along the way you'll also discover a bright and tangy chutney, and a fragrant mango pudding, all based on family recipes Sargam Nayyar grew up making.
Pakoras
For over a thousand years across the subcontinent, Indians have been frying up besan batter along with myriad ingredients and seasoning to create delicious snacks. Sargam will walk you through a few of the many versions and techniques out there — mixed vegetable, onion, and bread pakoras, stuffed vs. dipped — and explain what makes them work: how batter consistency and oil temperature decide whether they turn out crisp or greasy. We'll fry up a fresh batch, while you learn how to make a quick & easy homemade coriander and mint chutney to enjoy along side your fresh pakoras.
Stuffed Paranthas
Then it's your turn at the counter to make mini stuffed paranthas by hand, kneading the dough, working in ingredients, rolling and stuffing them with a filling of spiced potato, cauliflower, and paneer. You'll get a feel for the dough, and learn how much filling it can hold before it splits, and rolling it out evenly so nothing spills out on the tawa (griddle). Everyone will get to cook and enjoy the paranthas they make.
Aamras
We'll close with aamras, a simple but exquisite desert of silky mango pulp finished with a pinch of cardamom.
-----
Sargam Nayyar is the founder of Pudina Kitchen, a Toronto-based food community built around Indian fusion cooking, supper clubs, and private events. Her cooking comes out of her own family's kitchen, and she's built Pudina Kitchen into a space for people to cook, share a meal, and feel more connected to the culture behind the food. @thepudinakitchen
