Bread Pakodas

Fried food tastes so good and is so addictive, but I limit deep-frying to just a couple of times a year since it is an unhealthy way of cooking and the whole process is such a hassle for me. When I do fry, I go all out and fry up different things so that the entire batch of oil is used up all at once. I made these pakodas to go with steaming hot cups of tea recently. 

Ingredients:

• 4 slices of bread, edges trimmed and each slice cut into 4 small triangles
• 1 cup besan/chickpea flour
• 2 Tbsp rice flour
• 3 green chillies, finely chopped
• 3/4 tsp chaat masala
• A pinch of asafoetida
• 1 tsp ajwain/carom seeds
• 3/4 tsp - 1 tsp baking soda
• Salt to taste
• Water, for preparing the batter
• Vegetable oil, for deep- frying

Method:

Mix the chickpea flour, rice flour, green chillies, chaat masala, asafoetida, carom seeds and salt in a bowl. Add enough water to make a smooth and lump-free batter. Add baking soda to the batter just before you start making the pakodas and mix well.

Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat until very hot.

Drop 3-4 pieces of bread into the batter. Carefully drop the batter-coated bread pieces, one at a time, into the hot oil, taking care not to overcrowd the pan. Fry in 3-4 small batches till the pakodas are crisp and golden-brown. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and place on a paper-towel-lined plate. Serve hot with ketchup or chutney.