Potato-Stuffed Bread Pakora

indianindian vegetarianvegetariansides & startersdeep fried

Mar 21

Written By Anadi Misra

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A snack that’s sure to satisfy your tummy and heart is this **Potato-Stuffed Bread Pakora**! Also referred to as bread pakoda, they’re popular in North India and are often served with chutney and chai during the monsoons! However, nothing stops you from enjoying these any time!

What is Bread Pakora?

Bread Pakora is a North Indian snack where bread slices are dipped into a chickpea flour (also known as gram flour or besan) batter made with Indian spices and cilantro, and then the bread is deep fried. In English, bread pakora could translate to “bread fritters.” Bread Pakora is the North Indian term for this snack, as I call it, but in South India this snack is referred to as "bread bajji”. This Potato-Stuffed Bread Pakora has the goodness of simple bread pakora with a delicious mashed potato stuffing! You know me, I love my potatoes!

Bread Pakora is a street food item but I’ve also had them at home back in India quite often. Confession time - this is the fist time I’ve ever made it in Canada! Whaat! Almost ten years being here and I never made this ultimate snack for myself! I don’t know why not because honestly it’s really easy and IT’S SO GOOD! If you’ve never had it then your life is about to change!

If you follow me on Instagram then you saw me prepare simple Bread Pakora for the first time! I was making them for my cookbook Restaurant to Home (coming very soon at the time of writing this), along with other types of pakoras. I was so hooked on the bread pakoras that I had to make them again but with my favourite potato stuffing, which I’ll be sharing in this recipe!

This step by step Potato-Stuffed Bread Pakora recipe will show you how to make the spiced besan batter, how to make the potato filling, and how to deep fry your breads and assemble your Potato-Stuffed Bread Pakoras. Be sure to check out the recipe video at the bottom of this post to fully grasp all the concepts of this potato bread pakora recipe! Also, please subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven’t already, and be sure to hit the bell button so you receive the notifications when the recipe videos go live. Let’s get cooking!

What Bread should I use for bread pakora?

I recommend you use a simple white bread. The whiter the better in this case! I recommend a generic white bread like Wonder Bread. An excuse to eat plain white bread, yay!

The reason you want to use white bread is because it won’t have any extra flavour that will compromise the flavours from the batter and stuffing, and white bread is very soft, so it will absorb the besan batter well. Furthermore, growing up, this was the traditional bread we used. You could technically use any bread you want, but I doubt that street-side vendors use whole wheat bread!

What potatoes should I use for the stuffing?

As with most of my potato recipes, I go for Yukon gold yellow potatoes. They are creamy on the inside and will give the best flavour for the stuffing for our bread pakora.

How thick should my batter be?

The batter should be like a pancake batter or gravy. It should coat the back of the spoon but not be thick like a brownie batter, but you don’t want it too thin and watery. The thicker the batter is, the thicker the outer layer of the pakora will be, and you’ll have to cook the pakora longer.

what oil should I use to deep fry?

For this Potato-Stuffed Pakora recipe, I used canola oil to deep fry. However, I would also recommend vegetable oil, peanut oil, or ghee for frying.

How do I know The oil is ready?

The oil will be ready to deep fry when there is no smoke coming out. You’ll want to heat your oil on medium heat. The sandwich will just float in the oil.

How do I Avoid A Greasy Pakora?

Firstly, make sure that the oil is hot enough so that your pakora get evenly fried. Additionally, you want to ensure sure that the batter is not too thin or watery. Because the bread is spongy and if the batter is thin, the oil will penetrate through. You want to think of the batter as a protective covering for your bread.

additional tips to master stuffed bread pakora

Cut the tomatoes in quarters so add a rustic flair to the dish.
Season the potato mixture while it cooks.
If the potato mixture becomes dry, add a splash of water. You don’t want any browning in the mixture.
Taste the potato mixture with some bread to see if it’s to your liking!
You can also add lemon or lime juice to your potato mixture for an extra zest.
Using a wok is convenient and safer since you can use the slope of the wok to slide the pakora to the hot oil.
Wait until the oil is hot before frying to ensure your pakoras don’t absorb excess oil.
Do a test pakora to see if it yields the desired results. If not, adjust the oil temperature or batter or cooking time as necessary.
I recommend you serve these immediately for the ultimate crispiness and deliciousness!

Ingredients for potato-stuffed bread pakora

Let’s see what ingredients we’ll need for our Potato-Stuffed Bread Pakora, including the ingredients for the potato filling, for the pakora batter, and for frying.

Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom of this post for the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD that will include all ingredients and their quantities and the instructions! The recipe card is awesome because you can save the recipe for later, and the card allows you to scale the recipe based on how many pakora you plan on making! All the ingredients get automatically adjusted, so you don’t have to do any calculations or ratios - all the work is done for you in the recipe card!

For the potato filling

Ghee
Cumin seeds
Hing
Garlic
Onions
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Green chilies
Ground coriander
Garam masala
salt, to taste
Cilantro

For the Batter

Besan
Cilantro
Seasonings: Turmeric and salt.
Water: As needed.

We’ll also need oil for frying the pakoras.

How to Make amazing potato-stuffed bread pakora

To prepare the potato filling

Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Add in the cumin seeds and hing and when the cumin seeds start to change colour and become aromatic, add in the garlic, chillies and onions.

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Once onions start to caramelize and get some colour, add in the tomatoes, mix well and add in coriander powder and garam masala. Season with salt, stir and cook until the tomatoes have softened.

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Add in the potatoes and lightly mash with a potato masher or with the back of a spoon, mix well to combine with the masala. Adjust for seasoning to taste and garnish with cilantro.

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To prepare the batter

In a large bowl, add the besan, cilantro, turmeric and salt. Whisk to combine. Slowly start adding in water to create a thick and smooth batter. The consistency should be smooth and pourable, thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. It should not be pasty.

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To make the pakoras

Heat peanut oil on medium heat. You can test if the oil is ready by dropping a bit of the batter in the oil. If it floats up right away and sizzles, it is ready. If it browns instantly, the oil is too hot.

Take a slice of bread and spread 3-4 Tbsp of the Potato Stuffing. Add the top bread to make a sandwich and slice at a diagonal.

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Dip the diagonal sandwich pieces in the batter, let any excess drip and carefully add to the hot oil.

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Fry until aromatic, crisp outside. The colour should darken a but, but not be brown at all. Repeat the same with the remaining pieces.

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Serve hot with your favourite condiments and enjoy!

Can I bake or air-fry my aloo-stuffed pakora?

I’ve seen other recipes that say that you can, but to be honest with you I wouldn’t. By definition, a pakora is a fried snack, and I think it’s enjoyed best prepared and cooked the traditional way. I feel that with the besan batter, it would be very messy to bake or air fry, and the taste and texture just won’t be as good as the classic frying method.

can I make aloo-stuffed bread pakora ahead of time?

I would recommend you eat the Potato-Stuffed Pakora immediately piping hot! That’s the best way to have it! However, maybe you’re making them ahead of time for a big party, or you wanted to save some to enjoy the next day. That’s okay! I had extra to enjoy the following day too! So yes, you definitely can make these pakoras ahead of time!

STORING LEFTOVER potato-stuffed bread pakora

To store, transfer into an airtight container and keep them in the fridge. Aloo-Stuffed Bread Pakora will stay fresh in the fridge for up to a week. I wouldn’t recommend you freeze potato-stuffed bread pakora since it will turn into a soggy and mushy mess if you defrost it .

HOW TO REHEAT bread pakora

To reheat your bread pakoras, you could reheat in the microwave for about 30 seconds to a minute, depending on how strong your microwave is. Simply reheat until the outside and inside are warm.

However, I find that the best reheating methods to keep the crispiness on the outside and the warm of that potato filling would be to either air fry or bake in the oven! To reheat in the air fryer, heat for about 2-3 minutes at 350 F. To reheat in the oven, also set your oven to 350 F and heat for about 5 to 10 minutes.

In my opinion, the air fryer would definitely be the best method because the air fryer doesn’t require preheating, and you will get an even temperature on the outside and inside in no time! However, if you don’t own an air fryer, then my recommendation would be to reheat in the oven if you have the time to do so. Of course, if you have oil on hand, alternatively you could re-fry the bread pakora.

serving suggestions

A winning combination with Potato-Stuffed Bread Pakora is to enjoy with chutney! My go-to chutney for my favourite snacks is my Cilantro-Mint Chutney, but I’ve also enjoyed these pakoras with Sweet & Tangy Tamarind Chutney. Other awesome condiments for dipping the pakoras in include ketchup, hot sauce of your choice, and sour cream. It’s common to serve bread pakoras with chai on a rainy day, but if you’re looking for a refreshing sweet contrast, then I would totally recommend you pair these pakoras with a sweet Mango Lassi!

OTHER SNACK RECIPES!

Watch How to Make potato-stuffed bread pakora Here:

Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cookingwithanadi. Thank you!

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sides & snacks

Indian

Yield: 8-10

Author: Anadi

Potato-Stuffed Bread Pakora Recipe | Bread Fritters Recipe | Bread Bajjihttps://youtu.be/j3RqBbZCQusBread pakora is an Indian snack also referred to as bread bajji, which can be translated to bread fritters. This easy bread pakora recipe will show how to make potato stuffed bread pakoras. This stuffed bread pakoda recipe will show how to make bread pakora at home and how to make the bread pakora potato filling.2022-03-21

Potato-Stuffed Bread Pakora

( 0 reviews )

A snack that’s sure to satisfy your tummy and heart is this Potato-Stuffed Bread Pakora! Also referred to as bread pakoda, they’re popular in North India and are often served with chutney and chai during the monsoons! However, nothing stops you from enjoying these any time!

Prep time: 25 MinCook time: 12 MinTotal time: 37 Min

Ingredients

For the besan batter

1 1/2 Cups besan
1/4 Cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
water as needed

For the potato stuffing

1 1/2 Tbsp Ghee
1 tsp Cumin seeds
Pinch of hing
1/2 Tbsp garlic, minced
3 medium potatoes, steamed/boiled
1 medium tomato, quartered
1 tsp Ground coriander
1 tsp Garam masala
salt, to taste
Cilantro, to garnish
White bread, as needed

Instructions

For the potato stuffing

Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Add in the cumin seeds and hing and when the cumin seeds start to change colour and become aromatic, add in the garlic, chillies and onions.
Once the onions start to caramelize and get some colour, add in the tomatoes, mix well and add in coriander powder and garam masala. Season with salt, stir and cook until the tomatoes have softened.
Add in the potatoes and lightly mash with a potato masher or with the back of a spoon, mix well to combine with the masala.
Adjust for seasoning to taste and garnish with cilantro.

For the Besan batter

In a large bowl, add the besan, cilantro, turmeric and salt. Whisk to combine.
Slowly start adding in water to create a thick and smooth batter. The consistency should be smooth and pourable, thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. It should not be pasty.

For the Pakoras

Heat peanut oil on medium heat. You can test if the oil is ready by dropping a bit of the batter in the oil. If it floats up right away and sizzles, it is ready. If it browns instantly, the oil is too hot.
Take a slice of bread and spread 3-4 Tbsp of the Potato Stuffing. Add the top bread to make a sandwich and slice at a diagonal.
Dip the diagonal sandwich pieces in the batter, let any excess drip and carefully add to the hot oil.
Fry until aromatic, crisp outside. The colour should darken a but, but not be brown at all. Repeat the same with the remaining pieces.
Serve hot with your favourite condiment.