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Palak pakoda normally comprises freshly chopped spinach leaves along with coriander leaves for added flavor. A variety of spices go into the batter made with gram flour, coriander, black pepper, ajwain and more. Additionally, ginger, garlic, lemon juice, chilies and hing are added to enhance the flavor and spiciness of this batter further. Small portions of this batter are fried to a perfect golden and crispy exterior in hot oil. If you do not know the steps to make palak pakoda at home, take a clue from my simple recipe.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

Palak pakoda is a popular snack in India, loved for its quick preparation and crispiness.
Serve it with green chutney, tomato ketchup, or fried green chilies for extra flavor.

Palak pakoda offers a mildly spicy, earthy, and savory taste.
Other similar recipes are onion pakoda, methi pakoda, bread pakoda, and mixed vegetable pakoda.

The Ingredients:

200 grams palak or spinach (leaves only, washed nicely, finely chopped)

½ cup coriander leaves (finely chopped)
½ cup water
½ tsp salt
2 tsp cooking oil
1 tsp coriander seeds (crushed)
½ tsp black peppercorns (crushed)
¼ tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
¼ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
½ tsp red chili powder
2 pinches baking soda
2 pinches asafetida (hing)
Lemon juice (half a lemon)
5 pieces green chilies (finely chopped)
8 pieces garlic (finely chopped)
1 piece ginger (1-inch size, finely chopped)
1 cup besan
Cooking oil (an adequate amount for frying the pakodas)

I actually didn’t find this recipe through any food page or video. It happened during one of those long evenings outside my younger son’s tuition class. We usually stand there talking about random things because there’s nothing else to do. Someone was complaining about gas prices, someone about school bags. In between all that, one mother mentioned how she cooks these pakodas quickly on working days. I asked her casually what she makes. She spoke fast and didn’t really explain properly, just said she grinds it well and adds “normal things.”

I tried it two days later when I was already tired and didn’t want to think much. I didn’t measure anything properly. I just followed what I remembered. The pakodas were soft, not perfect-looking, but edible and filling. My husband ate without saying much at first, then said it was good and tasty. My sons finished faster than usual. I felt more relieved than proud and thanked my stars that I came across this recipe.

How to Make Palak Pakoda? (Step by Step Guide with Images)

Step 1: Take 200 grams of nicely washed leaves of palak or spinach and chop them finely. Leave out the stalk of the leaves. It will come to about a cup of finely chopped spinach leaves.

Step 2: Also, chop ½ cup fresh coriander leaves.

Step 3: Now, in a bowl, take ½ cup of water, ½ tsp of salt, 2 tsp of cooking oil, 1 tsp of coriander seeds (crushed), ½ tsp of crushed black peppercorns, ¼ tsp of carom seeds (ajwain), ¼ tsp of turmeric powder (haldi), ½ tsp of red chili powder, 2 pinches of baking soda, 2 pinches of asafetida (hing), and squeeze the juice of half a lemon into it. Mix them all very nicely.

Step 4: Now, to this mixture in the bowl, add the chopped spinach and coriander leaves along with 5 pieces of green chilies (finely chopped), 8 pieces of finely chopped garlic, and 1 piece of ginger (1-inch size, finely chopped). Follow it up with a cup of gram flour (besan). Mix them all nicely with your hand. You may let it rest a bit.

Step 5: In the meantime, heat an adequate amount of cooking oil in a kadai over a medium flame. When the oil is hot, take small portions of the batter in your hand. Put it gently and carefully in the hot oil, one by one, from one side of the kadai. Let them fry on one side for half a minute and then flip them with a strainer.

Step 6: Flip them continuously and remove them after 3 to 4 minutes of frying. Fry all the pakoras in the same way.

Step 7: Your tasty and spicy homemade palak pakodas are now ready to enjoy. Serve them hot on a plate along with green chutney or tomato ketchup with a couple of slightly fried green chilies.