Beetroot and onion pakoras with coriander and mint raita

No-fuss, comfort and fun food is what New Zealand chef Wendy Morgan is all about, and at this time of year that is all you want from food. Her beetroot and onion pakoras are a perfect example of a fun pass-around snack or fancied up with some salad as an entree.

Makes 25

Mint raita

½ cup Greek yoghurt

½ cup roughly chopped

coriander, stalks included

¼ cup mint leaves

1 clove garlic, roughly

chopped

1 green chilli, deseeded and

chopped

Zest and juice of ½ lemon

Pinch salt

Pakoras

200g coarsely grated fresh beetroot

2 onions, sliced

1 tsp flaky salt

50g chickpea flour

50g plain flour

2 tsp curry powder

½ tsp turmeric

½ tsp baking powder

100-150ml cold water

1 tsp toasted coriander seeds

Method

To make the raita, place all the ingredients into a jug and blend with a stick blender until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until required.

To make the pakoras, place the beetroot and onion into a bowl. Sprinkle the salt over and then by hand gently massage the mixture together. Set aside for 10-30 minutes, then drain off any juice that forms.

Heat a deep fryer or saucepan of oil to 175°C.

Whisk together all the dry ingredients with 100ml of the water, adding more if needed, to achieve a thick batter.

Stir the beetroot mixture into the batter along with the coriander seeds.

Drop dessert-spoonfuls of the batter into the fryer, allowing it to fall quite loosely from the spoon to form lots of crunchy gnarly bits. Leave a gap between each spoonful so they don’t join up. Fry the pakoras for about 2 minutes until golden brown and crispy, flipping them over halfway through cooking. You will need to cook them in about three or four batches.

Drain on paper towels and serve nice and hot with the raita.

• As the raita chills, the flavour will develop more, so check the seasoning just before serving rather than just after making. You may need to add a little more lemon juice or salt.