Pakora and Halva

Okay, so we had friends over again, as I said in the last post. A colleague and her husband, who is a director and was briefly back in town after filming in Iowa. Against my partner's better judgment, I decided to try something completely new: Pakora.

First, I finally made the Mint Chutney (Podina Chatni) I've been threatening to make for weeks. To make things easier, I found frozen grated coconut, so I don't have to repeat the coconut ordeal again. The chutney was delicious.

It accompanied Zucchini Pakora with Crushed Peanuts (Louki Pakora) and Bell Pepper Pakora with Nigella (Kalonji) Seeds (Simla Mirch Pakora). The pakora each used different batters, so it ended up being a fair amount of work. They worked perfectly, though. The batter coated perfectly and didn't come off in the frying. I was nervous about frying things. Never really battered things and fried them before. It probably would have been easier with a deep fryer, but the frying pan was fine. Having a thermometer and some silicone tongs helped considerably. As to the flavors, the kalonji batter on the bell peppers was definitely tastier, while the peanut-based batter seemed to need a little salt.

For a main course, I repeated the yummy vegetable soup in the pressure cooker. But for dessert, I decided to try Indian Halva. Yum! I was not optimistic, since I'm not a fan of Indian desserts, but this was scrumptious. Probably more raisins next time.