Vegetable Pokhora

   

 
Make a batter slightly thicker than pancake batter from besan (chick-pea flour) and water. Before adding water to the besan, you can also work a few drops of oil into the flour by rubbing it between your hands. Add a bit of salt, cumin, chili powder and curcuma, according to taste. Leave to stand for 30 minutes.  
   
Cut desired vegetables into bite sized slices or pieces. Suitable veggies are potatoes (cut in slices of about half centimetre thickness), cauliflower, broccoli, whole chilies or try your own favorites. You can also use whole button mushrooms, or squares of paneer (Indian fresh cheese).   
Heat enough oil suitable for deep-frying (peanut oil), dip the veggie pieces one by one in the batter so they are entirely covered by it and deep-fry them, as many as fit into the pan without crowding, until they turn a golden brown. Drain on a kitchen paper, keep warm until all are ready.  
Fresh spinach or onions also make great pokhora. Onions you slice finely and add a few chopped green chilies. Spinach you chop up. Mix cut onions or spinach well with a suitable amount of batter and use a spoon to drop small heaps of the mix into the hot oil.      
     
Variations:  

Substitute part of the water with yoghurt. Instead of cumin powder, use whole cumin seed.   

 
   
I always serve pokhora with Thai Sweet Chili Sauce. I know it's not at all the proper thing to do, and I'm rather a bit of a purist usually concerning such matters. But that Thai sauce is sure the best pokhora dip I ever tried! :)  
   
Source: Indian traditional.