Bread Pakoda with a Zucchini Twist

By Chef Madhu Sneha

From Sunny Side Up

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 10 minutes

Method: Easy

Course: Snack

Type: Fusion

Key Ingredients:

Bread slices spread with sweet tamarind chutney and mint chutney, stuffed with zucchini slices and batter fried

Short History: Zucchini belongs to the squash family and has its roots in Mesoamerica where it was cultivated for over 7,000 years. The varieties that we now called ‘zucchini’ were cultivated in Italy in the late 19th century. Zucchini in Italian means ‘small marrow’. It is harvested before it is fully mature and so the skin is tender. Zucchini is a versatile ingredient and is used to make sweet and savoury dishes such as zucchini bread/brownies/cookies, zucchini spaghetti, stuffed zucchini and similar other zucchini-based preparations..

What is Bread Pakoda with a Zucchini Twist: The Bread Pakoda with a Zucchini Twist recipe is a sandwich with a filling of zucchini slices that is then batter-fried like a pakoda (fritter). The Bread Pakoda with Zucchni Twist sandwich uses mint and tamarind chutney as spreads. The zucchini slices are then placed on the bread slices with tamarind chutney over which salt and pepper powders are sprinkled. These slices are then covered with mint chutney bread slices and then dipped in gram flour batter. The bread pieces are then deep-fried and served hot with tomato ketchup..

Top ways to prepare: You can brush the griddle with oil and fry the pakodas on all sides till done by turning it. Alternatively, you can shallow-fry the bread pakoda pieces. You can air-fry the Bread Pakoda with Zucchini Twist for 20 minutes at 180 degree Celsius..

Cooking Tips: Use fresh bread, zucchini, dairy, vegetables, spices, seasoning and masalas..

Serving Suggestion : Bread Pakoda with Zucchini Twist is a delightful snack and can be served with tea/coffee/beverage..

Ingredients

White bread 4 slices
Medium yellow zucchinis, cut into thin round slices 2
Gram flour 2 cups
Salt to tase
Red chilli powder 1 tsp
Turmeric powder ½ tsp
Cumin powder 2 tsps
Carom seeds (ajwain) ½ tsp
Beaten yogurt 1 cup
Sweet tamarind chutney as required
Spicy mint chutney as required
Oil to deep-fry
Black pepper powder to taste
Tomato ketchup to serve

Methods

Take gram flour in a mixing bowl, add salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, carom seeds and hung yogurt and mix well. Add a little water and whisk to a smooth batter. The batter should neither be runny nor too thick.
Heat sufficient oil in a kadai.
Apply the sweet tamarind chutney generously on 4 bread slices. Spread spicy mint chutney generously on the remaining 4 slices.
Arrange the zucchini slices on the slices spread with tamarind chutney. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper powder over the zucchini slices. Cover with the slices with mint chutney, the chutney side facing the zucchini slices and press gently.
Trim the edges of the bread gently and then cut each sandwich into 2 triangles.
Dip each triangle in the gram flour batter and gently slide into hot oil and deep-fry till golden. Drain on absorbent paper.
Arrange the pakodas on a serving platter and serve hot with a bowl of tomato ketchup.