Viva Lewes Issue #157 October 2019

RECIPE
Four-onion pakora
Alun Sperring, from Chilli Pickle,
on an Indian street-food staple
I had wanderlust as a young man and worked
my way around the world, learning my trade in
eight countries over five different continents,
under a variety of brilliant chefs.
I particularly developed a passion for Indian
cuisine, and when my wife Dawn and I had
our first child – in Dubai, twelve years ago –
we decided to set up our own restaurant in
England. The idea was to produce amazing
Indian food, inspired by all the regions of the
country, espousing authenticity of style and
method, tweaked a little to suit our own style
of cooking.
I was brought up in Brighton, and it seemed
the obvious choice of venue, a city that is
open-minded enough to embrace something a
little different. We started in a little 40-cover
space in the Lanes, and moved to our current
building, in Jubilee Street, nine years ago. It’s
all about teamwork: Dawn is front-of-house,
I’m head chef, and we make sure everyone who
works at Chilli Pickle does so with enormous
passion, both in the kitchen and the restaurant.
We see ourselves as being in the entertainment
business: we’ve made the restaurant reflect the
vibrant colours of India, and there’s always a
wow factor when the food arrives on the table.
But the most important thing is the taste,
which involves, of course, sourcing fresh produce.
So all our meat and vegetables are locally
produced, while we import the best quality
spices from India (you can use Taj!)
Onion pakora are eaten throughout India,
as a street food or starter, and are always on
our menu. They are easy to make at home,
especially if you have a deep-fat fryer (though a
chip pan will do fine). And, of course, they are
absolutely delicious.
Method (makes 24 pakora).
Finely slice 400g of white English onion, 100g
red onion, 50g shallots and 50g spring onion,
and mix well in a bowl with 20g fresh chopped
coriander, 30 torn-up curry leaves, a finely
sliced green chilli, 15g freshly roasted coriander
seed, 15g freshly roasted cumin seed, 10g
fennel seed, 5g asafoetida, 35g Masoor red dal,
5g turmeric, 8g salt, 4g baking powder, 250g
chickpea flour, 150g of rice flour. Add 225ml
of cold water, and mix with your hands, being
careful not to squeeze too much, otherwise
excess water will release.
Heat 1 litre of vegetable oil to 165c (you can
use a thermometer). Create small pakora
shapes with the tips of your fingers and your
thumb, carefully dropping into the oil pan. Add
eight or nine at a time: cook until light golden
colour, turning a few times so the colour is
even. Drain onto a paper towel, and repeat,
until all the pakora mixture is cooked. When
you’re ready to serve, heat the oil to 175c, and
fry the pakora patties a second time – again in
batches – until they are crispy. Serve with the
best mango chutney you can get your hands
on: we source a wonderful Alphonso mango
chutney direct from India. Enjoy!
As told to Alex Leith
75