Onion, potato, paneer — the usual suspects show up every time the rain starts, and the oil comes out. But pakoda culture runs a lot deeper than that, and a lot wider too. Travel from the Konkan coast to the hills of Uttar Pradesh, and you’ll find a version of the fritter in almost every regional kitchen — some wrapped in leaves, some hiding a whole cob’s worth of corn, some hiding a starchy root under a crackling crust.
Here are five you’ve probably never heard of, and definitely need to try.
1. Saga Bhaja Pakoda → Greens, Battered
Odia kitchens are built around saga — leafy greens, usually stir-fried quick and simple with mustard oil and panch phoron. This version, inspired by that same love for greens, takes it a step further: chopped saga bound in a light batter, fried until the edges crisp up and curl.
Ingredients
- Mixed leafy greens — 2 cups, finely chopped. (Spinach — 1 cup, Amaranth — 1 cup)
- Besan (gram flour) — 3/4 cup
- Rice flour — 2 tbsp
- Onion, finely chopped — 1 small
- Green chilli, chopped — 1
- Cumin seeds — 1/2 tsp
- Turmeric powder — 1/4 tsp
- Salt — to taste
- Oil — for deep frying
Method
- Wash the greens thoroughly and chop finely.
- Mix greens, besan, rice flour, onion, chilli, cumin, turmeric, and salt in a bowl.
- Add a splash of water only if the mixture doesn’t hold together — greens usually release enough moisture on their own.
- Heat oil in a deep pan.
- Drop spoonfuls of the mixture into the hot oil.
- Fry until deep golden and crisp on all sides.
- Drain and serve hot with a simple mustard-chilli dip.
Tip: Any seasonal saag works here — spinach, amaranth, mustard greens, or a mix of whatever’s freshest.
2. Kadgi Bajji → Jackfruit’s Crispy Side
Inspired by the Konkan coast’s tradition of frying raw jackfruit before it ripens sweet, this is our own besan-rice flour batter take on the classic — sliced thin, coated, and fried till the edges turn deep gold. We’ve borrowed the name “kadgi” (Konkani for raw jackfruit) and given it a bajji-style treatment, so it’s got all the chew of a good bite without a trace of meat.
Ingredients
- Raw jackfruit, sliced thin — 250g
- Besan (gram flour) — 1 cup
- Rice flour — 2 tbsp
- Turmeric powder — 1/2 tsp
- Red chilli powder — 1 tsp
- Salt — to taste
- Water — as needed
- Oil — for deep frying
Method
- Rub the jackfruit slices with a little salt and chilli powder.
- Let them rest for 20 minutes.
- Whisk besan, rice flour, turmeric, and remaining chilli powder with water into a smooth, thick batter.
- Heat oil in a deep pan until medium-hot.
- Dip each jackfruit slice into the batter, coating fully.
- Slide gently into the hot oil.
- Fry until golden-brown on both sides.
- Drain on paper towels and serve hot.
Tip: Raw jackfruit can be tricky to find fresh outside season. Frozen raw jackfruit chunks work just as well here — just pat them dry before slicing and battering.
3. Rikwachh → Leaf, Rolled and Fried
A monsoon speciality from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, rikwachh layers colocasia (arbi) leaves with a spiced besan paste, rolls them tight, steams the whole thing, then slices and fries. What comes out is a snack with more texture than any onion pakoda could manage — soft where the leaf sits, crisp at the fried edge.
Ingredients
- Colocasia (arbi) leaves — 8-10, large
- Besan (gram flour) — 1 cup
- Turmeric powder — 1/2 tsp
- Red chilli powder — 1 tsp
- Cumin seeds — 1 tsp
- Lemon juice — 1 tbsp
- Salt — to taste
- Oil — for shallow frying
Method
- Wash the arbi leaves and pat completely dry.
- Mix besan, turmeric, chilli powder, cumin, lemon juice, and salt with a little water into a thick, spreadable paste.
- Lay one leaf flat, vein-side up.
- Spread a layer of the besan paste evenly over it.
- Place a second leaf on top and repeat the paste layer.
- Continue stacking 4-5 leaves this way.
- Roll the stack tightly from one end, like a Swiss roll.
- Steam the roll for 20 minutes, until firm.
- Let it cool, then slice into thick discs.
- Shallow fry each disc until golden on both sides.
- Serve with coriander chutney.
Tip: No fresh arbi leaves nearby? A Gujarati patra mix (pre-made arbi leaf rolls, sold frozen at most grocers) makes a fair shortcut if you’re short on time.
4. Bhutte Ke Pakode → Indore’s Corn Fritter
Indore’s love affair with corn goes well beyond bhutte ka kees. This version grates fresh corn straight off the cob, folds it into a light besan batter, and fries it into something closer to a fritter than a kernel — crisp on the outside, sweet and a little chewy on the inside.
Ingredients
- Fresh corn kernels, grated or crushed — 1.5 cups
- Besan (gram flour) — 1/2 cup
- Corn flour — 2 tbsp
- Ginger, grated — 1 tsp
- Green chilli, finely chopped — 1
- Coriander leaves, chopped — 2 tbsp
- Red chilli powder — 1/2 tsp
- Salt — to taste
- Oil — for deep frying
Method
- Grate or coarsely crush the corn kernels to release their natural starch.
- Mix in besan, corn flour, ginger, green chilli, coriander, chilli powder, and salt.
- Combine well — the corn’s own moisture should bring the mixture together without extra water.
- Heat oil in a deep pan.
- Drop small portions of the mixture into the hot oil using a spoon.
- Fry until golden and crisp, turning occasionally.
- Drain and serve warm.
Tip: If the mixture feels too wet to hold shape, add a spoon more besan rather than corn flour — it binds better without dulling the corn’s sweetness.
5. Kand na Bhajia → Yam’s Golden Crunch
Yam, thinly sliced and dipped in a light besan batter, finished with a scatter of crushed coriander seed, black pepper, and sesame — kand na bhajia is a Gujarati classic that turns a starchy root into something genuinely showy, thanks entirely to that deep golden colour underneath the crust.
Ingredients
- Yam (kand), peeled and thinly sliced — 250g
- Besan (gram flour) — 1 cup
- Turmeric powder — 1/4 tsp
- Red chilli powder — 1/4 tsp
- Asafoetida — a pinch
- Coriander seeds, coarsely crushed — 1/2 tbsp
- Black pepper, coarsely crushed — 1/2 tbsp
- Sesame seeds — 1 tsp
- Salt — to taste
- Oil — for deep frying
Method
- Slice the yam thin and keep the pieces submerged in water to prevent discolouring.
- Whisk besan, turmeric, chilli powder, asafoetida, and salt with water into a smooth, thin batter.
- Heat oil in a deep pan.
- Dip each yam slice into the batter, coating both sides.
- Sprinkle a pinch of crushed coriander seed, pepper, and sesame over the batter-coated slice.
- Slide into the hot oil, spice-side up.
- Fry until golden and crisp.
- Drain and serve immediately with mint-coriander chutney.
Tip: Yam oxidises fast once peeled — keep slices in water right up until they go into the batter, not before.
Every state seems to have a pakoda no one outside it knows about. This one’s a small attempt to change that. So the next time it rains, maybe skip the usual and try something your kitchen’s never seen before. Share this with someone and casually hint that pakodas would be nice right about now.
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