Pumpkin Pakoras

Adapted from Chef Rayna Jhaveri by way of Edible Boston

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups garbanzo flour (also called chick pea flour)
Mix in ½ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon salt
1 generous pinch of baking soda
1 small sugar pumpkin ( or other winter squash), peeled and cut into slices, like an apple slice or small chunk
Oil for frying

Sauce options: chaat masala for sprinkling on top, and/or a quick pureed sauce of 1 green pepper,  jalapeno (seeds removed), 1 bunch cilantro (stems included) and juice of 1 lime & 1 tsp salt

Directions:

* Prepare pumpkin: peel skin, take out seeds (and save to roast later!) Do your best to make small slices or chunks of pumpkin.  Too thick and it doesn’t quite get cooked through, and too thin and it gets lost in the batter.

* Mix the flour with all of the spices.  Pour in warm water into the mixture until it turns like pancake batter.  You want it to be easy to mix but not too watery.

* Heat your oil in a pot or wok.  Prepare some paper towels on a plate for the cooked pumpkin.

* Now dip your pumpkin slices into the batter then put into the oil.  I put a bunch of pumpkin slices into the batter and then fish them out one by one with my fingers, or a slotted spoon, or tongs works, too.

* Let them cook for about 2 minutes on each side, until crispy, golden goodness.

* Scoop them out and let them drain.

* Serve with sauce ideas here, or another of your choosing.