Shrimp Pakoda

Fried shrimp on a brown parchment paper and small bowl of green chutney on the top right corner.

Shrimp pakoda is Indian style fried shrimp. Seasoned to taste and lightly coated with gram flour and rice flour, deep fried shrimp is crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. It is one irresistible snack.

Course Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine Indian Cuisine

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Marinate 15

Total Time 40

Servings

Calories 265kcal

Author Usha Rao

Equipment

2 bowls
1 Knife & Cutting Board
1 Pan or Wok for deep frying
1 Slotted Spoon
A Plate & Paper Towels to drain fried shrimp

Ingredients

1 pound peeled Shrimp 31-40 count
¾ teaspoon Salt adjust to taste
½ teaspoon Turmeric
1 ½ teaspoon Chili Powder adjust to heat tolerance level
½ teaspoon Black Pepper
2 teaspoon Ginger Garlic Paste
4 small Green Chilies finely chopped (or minced), about 2 teaspoons
2 tablespoons chopped Cilantro if you like cilantro, you can add a bit more
2 tablespoons chopped Mint
1 - 1 ½ tablespoon Lime Juice or ½ small lime, juiced
3 tablespoons Gram Flour ~ Besan Flour ~ Chickpeas Flour
3 tablespoons Rice Flour
Oil for deep frying

Instructions

Peel and devein shrimp. When using frozen peeled shrimp, place the shrimp in lukewarm water for about ½ hour to completely thaw the shrimp.
Wash and squeeze out as much water as you can from the shrimp. Or place in a colander or a strainer to drain the water.
Sprinkle, salt, turmeric, chili powder, black pepper powder, ginger garlic paste, green chilies, cilantro, mint, lime juice and toss well. Keep aside for 15 minutes or for a few hours in the refrigerator.
When ready to deep fry, sprinkle chickpeas flour, rice flour and toss well to combine. If required add some water, about 1 - 2 tablespoons. If there is some moisture in the shrimp, you may not need any water. Batter should lightly coat the shrimp.
Heat oil for deep frying, it should be around 375 F. I do not measure the temperature.
Drop shrimp into hot oil. Don’t overcrowd the pan. If the pan is crowded or if oil is not hot enough, the batter coating could fall off the shrimp. Depending on the size of the pan, fry the shrimp in 2 - 3 batches.
Deep fry shrimp on medium high flame until golden and crisp, about 2 - 3 minutes per side.
Remove from oil, drain a paper towel. Fry remaining shrimp.
Serve with green chutney or as is.

Notes

Remove excess water - After cleaning & washing the shrimp, squeeze out as much water as you can. If shrimp are watery, batter can become thin and might not coat well to shrimp.
Frozen shrimp - When using frozen shrimp, make sure the shrimp is completely thawed. Otherwise, moisture in the shrimp will loosen the batter and will not coat well to shrimp, resulting in soft fried shrimp.
Deep frying - Do not overcrowd the pan or wok when deep frying. Try to keep the oil hot at all times and maintain the temperature during deep frying.
Deep fry on medium flame to ensure prawns are evenly cooked, crisp & crunchy outside and juicy inside.
Nutrition - values mentioned below are approximate.

Nutrition