Pakora is a spicy, crispy and tasty deep fried native snack of
Pakistan and India like many other as Samosa, Jalabi or poori etc but Pakora
stands in limelight because of its significant exercise as favorite Iftar item
at holy month of Ramzan throughout subcontinent for years. According to survey
in Pakistan Pakoras has been most demanding and most liked entry at Iftar
without letting any other competent like Channa chat or rolls taking its place.
Ladies of the house prepare it at home or it is bought from any one of hundreds
Ramzan stalls from market, no matter the Ramzan fasts are long and scorching in
summer or are winter’s cool and short days.
1 standard Pakora contains about 100 calories which go on multiply
with numbers and put on weight.
‘NO PAKORAS THIS RAMZAN;
That’s why many diet and health conscious folks pass this resolution firmly every Ramzan and try hard to keep up their words. Before prayer, Iftar items are replaced with refreshing drink dates, pasta or fruit salad but for reasons they have to breach their decree. If not regular but still formal Iftar dinners are incomplete with Pakora feast. So every fasting at subcontinent can’t resist or pass by Ramzan without tasting pakoras.
Here are few facts which stand out pakoras as most demanding Iftar item at subcontinent;
1. Iftar time is fall at snack time
Muslims open fasts with call of Maghrib
prayer and it’s the time of enjoying snacks before dinner in usual days. So at
Ramzan, continuing the practice pakoras are presented to sooth the hunger for
time till dinner.
2. Handy to eat as before
Maghrib prayer short interval
When siren blow up in air and Muslims open
their fast by eating dates and by having glass of water as Maghrib prayer time
is very limited. Fasting persons move to mosques and women lay prayer mats at
home so the only one bite handy item which can boost instant energy after long
hungry and thirsty day for prayer break is pakoras. They’re handy, one bite
snack.
3.
All ingredients of article are available at home
The main ingredients of simple traditional
pakoras are Chickpea powder or gram flour (basin), potato, onion, green chili,
salt and pepper which most of the time are available at home without any
hassle.
 |
| Ramzan without pakora |
4.
Economical and consume less preparation time
When heavy clouds
cover the sky and rain blurred the images at monsoon season then the first thing
flashes at stomach is request of pakoras from moms. When suddenly guests ring
the bell at evening then again the pakoras are snacks which can be prepared in
less time so when in Ramzan, fasting ladies are lethargic right before Iftar
time then the frying of pakoras take very less time compared to preparation of
full meal with chappatian.
5. Variations in Pakora recipes
Pakoras can be varied by dipping different
vegetables in gram flour better. So a platter of Pakora prepared with spinach
leave, cauliflower, Egg plant, chicken, and mince….or mixture of all above can’t
let anyone go with excuse of fat grabbing snack.
With these facts when one person of family announce its Iftar
diet without pakora then he/she is gazed amazed. Children of house especially
refuse to accompany Iftar table without presence of pakoras. Any one of fasting
member of family deliberately fried or brought pakoras from market to decorate
the Iftar table when others are resisting it. Let’s see how many of Fasting at
subcontinent can put up with their resolution of NO PAKORA THIS RAMZAN at 100%.