“I received free samples of California Walnuts mentioned in this post. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by California Walnuts and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.”
Here’s a simple, yummy and addictive tea time vegan snack for you! These vegan pakoras are made with delicious California walnuts, some aromatic spices and a few basic pantry ingredients. Serve these walnut pakoras with a hot cuppa chai and you have yourself a perfect tea time snack!
I love using nuts in my recipes. As a parent raising a kid with dairy allergy, nuts have been a saving grace for me! I have been using nuts to thicken gravies, add texture to food, adding it to smoothies, oatmeals for some extra protein and nutrients. My daughter absolutely loves her pesto and I always make sure to have some walnuts in hand to make some delicious vegan pesto whenever we need. Also nut butters in toast is always a good choice to satisfy sudden hunger pangs 🙂
We love walnuts in our house! Walnuts are healthy, rich in plant based omega 3, protein which can be diffciult to come across in many vegan food. A handful of California walnuts is a versatile snack and can satisfy any taste preference, from savory to sweet. Regardless of your flavor preference, walnuts are the only nut to provide an excellent source of the plant-based omega-3, ALA
I use california walnuts a lot in my cooking. From pestos, to cookies, they are always stocked in my pantry. When I came across this contest, I wanted to come up with something new, something that my kid would love to eat. Cashew pakora is a famous tea time snack in India. I loved eating it when I was a kid. As I was discussing food and recipes with my mum, she suggested I try pakoras with walnuts and I thought it was a brilliant idea!
We started out testing with a small batch and it was an instant hit with my 4 year old. I had to immediately make another batch so all of us could taste it. That with a cup of hot chai, we were instantly transported back home, reminiscing the fun times we had over chai on rainy days, enjoying hot pakoras or bajjis with my family. Yes, rainy day, pakoras and chai is a match made in heaven 🙂
These walnut pakoras are incredibly easy to make. It is very difficult to muck it up! I made two batches, one with some finely chopped onions added to it, other without. Both the batches were fantastic, although the ones with onions tasted a tad bit more delicious.
Lets see how to do this Vegan pakora recipe with California walnuts!
Simple , crispy Indian style tea time snack made with nutritious walnuts and spices
-
1
cup
california walnuts 
-
1/4
cup
Rice Flour -
1/4
cup
Besan / chickpea flour -
1/2
tsp
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp ginger- garlic paste
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp red chilli powder / cayenne / paprika
- 1 tbsp chopped mint leaves or cilantro leaves
- 1 sprig curry leaves (optional)- chop it finely
- 1/2 red onion thinly sliced (optional)
- salt to taste
- oil for deep frying ( I used peanut oil)
- water to bind the ingredients
-
Heat a wok/ kadai with oil for deep frying
-
As it is heating up, add the walnuts, ginger garlic paste, curry leaves, mint leaves, onions, turmeric powder, chilly powder, salt, rice flour, besan, 1 tbsp oil and mix well.
-
Now add 1 tbsp water and mix well. Add water in 1 tbsp increments until you are able to mix everything well and all the spices and flours get coated to the walnuts (refer the image in the post for consistency) It should not be too watery. I used approximately 2 tbsp water. Sprinkle water as you mix everything and add extra water as needed.
-
If you add extra water, just add more flour to get it to the right consistency
-
When the oil is hot enough, add a small piece of the batter and see if it floats to the top. Then the oil is hot enought to fry.
-
Now fry the pakoras. I take a small spoon of walnut mixture and fry them in oil until they turn golden brown.
-
Don't add too much at once while frying.
-
When they are golden and crispy, take it out and drain it in a paper towel.
-
Do this for the rest of the batter.
-
Serve hot with some chai/ tea and ketchup or green chutney.
If the walnut mixture is breaking while frying, add a little bit more water to bind it all well.
Like this vegan pakora recipe? Try it and share the images on social media with the hashtag #cookingwithpree. Would love to see what you guys make! Also please leave a comment and give it a rating! Would love to connect with all of you 🙂
Follow me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest for more updates on what I cook on an everyday basis.
Shared! This is AWESOME stuff! Thank you!