From French Fries to Aloo ke Pakore, we love fatty, starchy, crispy foods. They have a special place in our hearts otherwise they won’t be called comfort foods. No food is inherently unhealthy, but our habits are. In this episode, I break down Why we crave fried foods and talk about Hormones, Monsoon, School times, How pakoras went to Japan (Yes!) and how my mom makes them (Recipe below by the way!). Cravings have been passed down in the human DNA since hunters and gatherers looked for carbs, so let’s find out going on in the 21st century!
Email to me at tinwimpod@gmail.comwith your food stories!
Recipe for Aloo ke Pakore:
Ingredients-
Gram flour - 200 gms.
Potato - 250 gms.
Red chilli powder - 1/4 teaspoon.
Garam Masala - 1 teaspoon.
Green chilli - 5 or 6
Salt & Chaat Masala - according to the taste.
Curd- 2 tablespoons
Oil - to fry.
Method -
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Make a batter of gram flour by mixing it with water and curd. Sieve the dry mix in a bowl and pour 150 gms water in it along with curd. Whisk the batter nicely so that all the lumps are dissolved. Leave the batter for 15 minutes. Meanwhile peel the potatoes and cut them into fat round slices. Heat oil in a pan. Once the oil is heated to a desired temperature take one potato slice and dip it into the flour batter. Put this slice into the pan to fry. Make 4-5 pakoras in the same way and fry them until they turn deep brown in colour. Now take them out on a plate and prepare more pakoras from the mixture. Aloo Pakoras are ready. Serve them with ketchup/Imli ki chutney/Schezuwan Chutney/maggi masala whatever you want.
REFERENCES:
Sleep Deprivation and Food Cravings- https://edition.cnn.com/2019/10/23/health/sleep-junk-food-cravings-wellness/index.html
Ghrelin and Leptin during sleep- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18564298/
Craving Junk food during monsoons- https://www.cntraveller.in/story/pakodas-samosa-recipe-why-do-we-crave-crunchy-fried-foods-during-the-india-monsoon-rainy-season/
Pakora to Japan- https://www.hindustantimes.com/brunch/take-pride-in-the-bonda-or-pakora-it-is-our-gift-to-the-world/story-khxwM10l0NT8HLZ8ik9G7I.html
Deep Frying- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_frying
