2 medium sweetcorns, kernels sliced off 1 onion, very finely chopped 1 green chilli, finely chopped 2cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped A handful of fresh curry leaves ½ tsp turmeric A pinch of chilli powder ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp fennel seeds 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp salt Approx 125g/4 ½oz gram flour Approx 3 tbsp sparkling water 12 small raw prawns, peeled Vegetable oil, for frying Yogurt and tamarind purée, to serve (optional) Coriander leaves, to decorate Lime, to serve
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Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the sweetcorn kernels until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain, leave to cool, then place in a bowl.
Add all the other ingredients except for the prawns, flour, water and oil. Mix well, then gradually start adding the flour, a handful at a time, followed by a tablespoon of water, and mix. Keep adding the flour and water until the mixture comes together and holds its shape when you press a handful of it together. You may not need all the flour.
With wet hands, take a heaped tablespoonful of the mixture and shape it in a ball around the prawn. Place the balls on a piece of greaseproof paper while you heat the oil.
Half-fill a heavy-based pan with oil and put over a medium heat (I sometimes use a wok as it heats up beautifully and it’s easy to see what’s going on). Test the heat of the oil with a chunk of bread; when the bread sizzles and gently turns golden in 30 seconds, the oil is hot enough. Carefully drop the pakoras into the oil and fry for 2-3 minutes until golden and cooked. (You may have to do this in batches.)
Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper before serving hot, sprinkled with sea salt and coriander leaves. Delicious served with yogurt and tamarind purée or Indian pickles and chutneys.
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