Stuffed Bread Pakora (Bread Pakoda) with Aloo Masala
Crispy besan-battered bread sandwiches with spiced potato filling. A North Indian tea-time favorite, perfect with green chutney and chai.
Equipment
- Deep kadai or heavy pot for frying
- Slotted spoon
- Mixing bowls
Ingredients
For the aloo stuffing
- 2 medium potatoes roughly 2 cups loosely packed; boiled, peeled, and mashed
- 1 tbsp oil or ghee
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1 to 2 green chillies optional; skip for kids; finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp coriander powder
- 1/4 tsp amchur dry mango powder; or a squeeze of lemon at the end
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander cilantro; chopped
For the besan batter
- 1 cup besan gram flour / chickpea flour
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp red chilli powder or paprika for colour without heat
- 1/4 tsp carom seeds ajwain; optional; lightly crushed
- A pinch of baking soda (optional)
- Salt to taste
- 3/4 to 1 cup water see method
- 1 tsp hot oil stirred in at the end optional
To assemble and fry
- 12 small bread slices or 6 large slices cut in half; crusts on or off as preferred
Instructions
Make the aloo masala
- Heat oil or ghee in a pan. Add cumin seeds; when they splutter, add ginger and green chilli. Cook 20 to 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add turmeric and coriander powder. Stir, then add the mashed potatoes.
- Mix well so spices coat every bit. Add salt, amchur or lemon, and coriander. The filling should be thick enough to spread without running; if wet, cook another minute on medium heat, stirring, until slightly drier.
- Cool completely before sandwiching. Warm filling steams the bread and makes batter slide off.
Sandwich the bread
- Spread a generous layer of filling on one slice, top with a second, and press gently so they stick. Repeat for all sandwiches.
- If bread is very soft, rest assembled sandwiches 5 minutes so the filling helps them hold shape.
Mix the batter
- In a wide bowl, whisk besan, turmeric, chilli powder, ajwain, baking soda (if using), and salt.
- Add water gradually, whisking until smooth. Aim for a thick coating batter that clings to the back of a spoon and drips slowly, not a thin soup. Thinner batter absorbs more oil.
- Rest 5 minutes. Besan hydrates and the batter may thicken; whisk in a splash more water if needed.
- Optional: stir in 1 tsp hot oil from the frying kadai right before dipping.
Fry
- Heat oil in a deep kadai to medium heat (about 170 to 180°C with a thermometer). Test with a drop of batter: it should rise steadily, not sit on the bottom or brown instantly.
- Dip one sandwich fully in batter, let excess drip 2 to 3 seconds, slide carefully into oil. Fry 2 to 3 at a time without crowding.
- Cook until deep gold on one side, flip, cook the other side, 3 to 5 minutes per batch depending on thickness.
- Drain on a rack or kitchen paper. Serve hot with cilantro chutney or ketchup.
Notes
Oil temperature is the main lever against greasy pakora: if pieces look pale and heavy, let the oil recover between batches before adding more.
Paneer stuffing: crumble or grate paneer and sauté with the same spices until dry-ish, or use thick paneer bhurji. Cool completely before assembling.
Storage: fried pakora are best the same day. Reheat in an oven or air fryer to crisp the crust; microwave will soften it.
Air fryer: a light oil spray at high heat works in a pinch but will not match deep-fried crunch.
Gluten-free: use GF bread; the batter is besan-based.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!