3 Unbelievable Health Benefits of Consuming Pakora – Snacky with No Worries

Deep-fried snacks are very delicious, do you agree? Despite the oily appearance, the taste of fried snacks is always the best. However, there are many disadvantages of consuming deep-fried food. Pakora is one of Indian snacks that are deep fried. It can be found in restaurants or street vendors.

The main ingredients of pakora are mostly onions, potatoes, chili powder, flour, cauliflower, chicken and some Indian spices. Read 3 Proven Health Benefits of Consuming Doner Kebab and Health Benefits of Pani Puri – Indian Snack to Try to get to know more about healthy Indian snacks.

What can you find in one serving of pakora?

As stated before, pakora is a type of deep-fried snack which main ingredients are vegetables and Indian spices. Pakora is sometimes eaten with bread.  Chicken and fish can also be added to pakora to make it tastier. There are some types of pakora: pyaaz pakora, aloo pakora, paneer pakora and palaak pakora. Pakora that is made from onion is pyaaz pakora. Potato is used to make aloo pakora. Cottage cheese (paneer) is used to make paneer pakora.

In pakora, there are many ingredients you can find, such as vegetables and Indian spices. The vegetables used in pakora are usually onions, potatoes, chilies, corriander leaves, cauliflower, spinach and other vegetables.

Pakora is usually enjoyed as snack or appetizer before heavy meal is served. Masala chai is usually served to guests with pakora during wedding ceremony together with tamarind, chutney and raita. Pakora is not only popular in its origin country, but nowadays, you can find it in western country, such as United Kingdom.

How nutritious is pakora?

Though it is deep-fried, pakora is still healthier than any junk food served in fast food restaurant. In one serving of pakora you can find:

• 166 calories
• 14.3 g of carbohydrates
• 9.9 g of fats
• 3.9 g of proteins

Do you see it? Consuming pakora is not as harmful as consuming one piece of hamburger, is it? You may read other snacks that are low in calories such as Health Benefits of Polenta Chips for Diet Snacks and Health Benefits of Zucchini Chips For Skin And Diet.

How to make healthy version of pakora?

If you think that pakora is not as healthy as you want, you can make some variations of it. Here are the ways to make healthy version of pakora. This is an adopted recipe from Slimming World. This kind of pakora is free of gluten, dairy and it is vegetarian.

You will need:

• 100 g of sliced onion
• 100 g of carrot, thin-sliced
• 100 g of zucchini, thin-sliced
• 1 cup of canned chickpeas, drained
• 1 tsp of ground corriander
• 1 tsp of cumin
• ½ tsp of masala salt
• ½ tsp of chili powder
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp of grated ginger
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tsp of cornstarch
• 1 tbsp of olive oil

How to make it:

1. Heat the oven to 200 to 400 degree of Fahrenheit.
2. Put zucchini into a bowl, add some salt and leave for 10 minutes.
3. Add some carrot, onion, garlic and ginger into the mixture.
4. Add all the spices and mix them well.
5. Put the egg into the mixture, combine well.
6. Make sure you drain the chickpeas until there is no water, put them into food processor. Wait until they are chopped perfectly.
7. Mix it with the vegetables and add some cornstarch into it. Combine them well.
8. Put ½ tbsp of olive oil to a frying pan and turn into medium high heat.
9. Make the mixture into the shape of patties, make 9 of them. After the pan is hot enough, put 4 pakoras on it and fry until it is golden brown. Do the same thing with the other side.
10. Move them into baking tray, covered with parchment paper.
11. Bake the patties in the oven for about 20 minutes.
12. The pakora is ready to be served. Enjoy!

This version of pakora is very healthy and good for your losing weight program. It has less calories than the ordinary pakora as this pakora only has 95 calories! Wow, that’s perfect for losing weight because there is less calorie.

What are the benefits of consuming pakora?

Before consuming a certain type of food, there must be consideration about whether the food is healthy for you. These are the three health benefits of consuming pakora. Check these following out!

Source of energy

Cornstarch as one of the main ingredients in pakora is very beneficial for giving you energy. One tablespoon serving of cornstarch gives you 8 grams of carbohydrates. It will be beneficial for you to carry a lot of activities. Zucchini is also one of the ingredients that boosts your energy.

Weight loss

You know that the main ingredients of pakora are vegetables. Vegetables are very rich in fiber that makes you easily feel full. By feeling full, you will think twice of consuming other snacks. Besides that, this snack is low in calorie, so it is safe!

Anti-oxidant agent

Onion is one of the main ingredients in pakora. Do you know that onions have a lot of health benefits to your body? One of them is as anti-oxidant agent. By consuming onions, the risk of getting cellular damage and diseases, like cancer can be minimized.

So, don’t hesitate to consume pakora. It is easy to make, very healthy and full of nutrients. Grab some vegetables and make your own version of pakora! Enjoy!

Read 9 Delicious Health Benefits of Feijoada and Health Benefits of Kale Chips – Tasty and Healthy Option for Snacking.