December was a wet one, to say the least. The rain washed out Timmy Perilloux's third crop of winter vegetables, which means he'll unfortunately only be with us for a few more markets this season. This said, be sure to pick up one of his gorgeous heads of cauliflower this week for this Mixed Vegetable Pakora (Indian fritters made with besan - chickpea flour).

Ingredients

• 1 cup besan (chickpea flour)
• 1/4 cup self-rising flour
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• cayenne pepper
• Pinch of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 12 ounces fresh spinach, washed
• 1-1/2 cups diced potato (1/4-inch dice)
• 1 cup diced cauliflower (1/4-inch dice)
• 1 cup diced onion (1/4-inch dice)
• 1 jalapeño pepper (optional) 
• 1 teaspoon chaat masala
• salt
• 3 cups corn oil

Directions

In a mixing bowl, combine besan, flour, coriander, basil, and cayenne. Add enough water to make a paste. Add baking soda, then add lemon juice and mix well. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine spinach, potato, cauliflower, onion, and jalapeño; mix together. Add chaat masala and salt. Add vegetables to batter and mix well. Form mixture into small balls.

Pour oil into a wok and heat to around 375 degrees. Carefully drop balls into hot oil and deep-fry until lightly browned.

Serve hot with chutney or ketchup. For an extra spicy taste, sprinkle with chaat masala.

Serves 8

Recipe compliments of  Har Keswani, Taj Mahal