Now that I’ve set a precedent by adding the deep fried frittelle di pere to Bake Club, here’s another fried snack featuring a new favourite flour at the moment, chickpea flour (aka garbanzo, gram, besan) or pea flour. This recipe is from Annabel Langbein.

Prep time:  5 mins + standing
Cook time:  3-5 mins per batchjk
Serves: Makes approx 30

2 cups chickpea or pea flour
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp coriander seeds or mustard seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds, roughly ground or chopped
2 tsp curry powder
2 cups beer (or water, soda water)
½ cup chopped fresh coriander or fennel leaves (if desired, personally, fresh coriander makes me retch)
1½ tsp salt
ground black pepper
¼ tsp baking soda
3 packed cups finely chopped or grated carrot, broccoli, peas, pumpkin or other vegetables

To fry:  
grapeseed, rice bran or other neutral oil

Combine flour with spices and beer to form a smooth batter. Mix in the chopped fresh coriander or fennel if using, salt and pepper, baking soda and vegetables. Stand for 5 minutes.

Heat 3-4cm of oil in a deep frypan and fry small spoonfuls of the pakora mixture in batches of 3-5 at a time for about 3 minutes, until golden and cooked through.

Remove the pakoras from the oil with a slotted spoon. Shake off any excess oil and place them on paper towels to drain. Serve at once. Pakoras can be prepared ahead and reheated in a 200˚C oven for 5 minutes before serving.