Dish of Haggis Pakoras
(click to enlarge)

Haggis Pakora


Scotland - India
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 1-3/4 #
***
2-1/3
Yes		 Yes Scottish. Indian cuisine has a major influence in the UK, with Chicken Tikka Masala the second most popular dish after Chinese Takeout.




-------
7
6
4
1/3
1
1
1
1
1
1/2
1/3
3/4
-------
11
ar
-------
ar

-------
1-1/4
1/3
1
1-1/2
2
-------
ar
---
oz
oz
oz
c

t
t
t
t
T
t
c
---
oz

---


---
c
c
t
T
t
---

-- Pakoras
Haggis (1)
Onion Red
Spinach
Cilantro
Chili, green (2)
Cumin Seed
Coriander Seed
Chili Powder (3)
Tandoori Masala (4)  
Salt (see 4)
Pepper
Water, cold
-- Paste
Besan flour (5)
Oil, deep fry
-- Garnish
Red Onion

-- Raita
Yogurt (6)
Mint
Mustard (7)
Ketchup
Scotch Whisky
-- Garnish
Garam Masala (8)

Do Ahead   -   (5 hrs to make, 5 minutes if purchased)
  1. Make HAGGIS if not on hand, or purchase it you can find it (not easy in North America).
Prep   -   (1-1/3 hrs)
  1. Thaw Haggis if frozen. Chop up well if it in a lump.
  2. Chop SPINACH and CILANTRO small. Chop CHILI fine. Chop ONION fine. Mix all.
  3. Grind Cumin and Coriander.
  4. In a large mixing bowl, mix together All Items above the Paste line. Work together evenly.
  5. Start working in the Besan until you have a moist, sticky paste that can be formed into balls consistent with being squashed into patties. This gets to be heavy work, so have it done by the strongest person in the household.
  6. Make the Raita for serving.
  7. Sliver the Red Onion lengthwise for Garnish.
Run   -   (45 min)
  1. Bring your deep fry oil up to 330°F/165°C - no hotter as Pakoras have to be well cooked before they get too brown.
  2. With wet hands, form your Paste into Balls about the size of a Golf Ball. Set them out on wax paper.
  3. Working in batches so as not to crowd the pan, with wet hands flatten the Paste Balls to about 1/4 inch thick. I work with 4 at a time, flattening them and arranging them on my Spider. I then tilt the Spider to slide them off into the Oil. Fry, turning now and then with the Spider, until they are quite brown, they will darken more when cooling. Scoop them out with Spider to drain, preferably on a wire rack over a baking pan. Bring the Oil back to 330°F before the next batch.
  4. Serve immediately garnished with Onion Slivers. These can be reheated and recrisped in a 330°F oven.

Raita Dip

  -   (20 min);
  1. Chop MINT fine.
  2. Place YOGURT in a mixing bowl. Stir together well All Items.
  3. Place in Bowl(s) and garnish with a sprinkle of Garam Masala
  4. Serve chilled
NOTES:

  1. Haggis:

      The national dish of Scotland. In the UK it is available refrigerated, frozen, and canned, but is very scarce in the US, and can't be exactly "authentic" here. Sheep lungs can't be sold for human consumption north of the Mexican border. However, a very fine "North American" Haggis can be made by our recipe Haggis. Our recipe makes a whole lot as it can be used so many ways, and it can be frozen.

  2. Chili:

      Hot Green Indian Chilis are very scarce even here in Los Angeles, so we use a Serrano. If very chili adverse you can core it.

  3. Chili Powder:

      Kashmiri or Aleppo Extra Hot are not too hot, but for even less hot use Aleppo Mild. Otherwise, use your own best judgement. For details see our Chili Powders & Flake page.

  4. Tandoori Masala

      This can be purchased commercially, but is much better made at home. Beware: Commercial Tandoori Masala is loaded with Salt. This recipe presumes our Tandoori Masala, so if you use commercial, cut back a little on the Salt.

  5. Besan:

      [Chickpea Flour]   Measure is by Weight - which is about 2 cups, but more may be needed to get the right consistency for the Paste.

  6. Yogurt:

      This should be a natural full fat Yogurt, and not a "Greek" one.

  7. Mustard:

      The pattern recipe calls for Arran Mustard, which is a semi-whole grain mustard. I used a Polish Style mustard which is ground finer than Arran and it worked fine. Some German mustards are similar to Arran.

  8. Garam Masala:

      This is an Indian "finishing" spice mix, which varies from region to region. It is available commercially, but better made by our recipe Garam Masala, Punjab.
  9. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
bbm_hagpak1 241004 skm68   -   www.clovegarden.com
©Andrew Grygus - agryg@aaxnet.com - Linking to and non-commercial use of this page is permitted.