It’s hard not to love fritters — golden, crunchy, parcels of deliciousness! Technically, a fritter is any ingredient mixed with a batter of some sort and then fried, though we’ve always been partial to recipes that work in a hefty dose of veggies (something’s got to provide some balance, right?).
We’re happy to report that these Indian pakora with yogurt dipping sauce from Falafel Shack in Chambersburg, PA, are positively loaded with PA veggies: potatoes, onions, peppers, cilantro and organic swiss chard and kale from Bending Bridge Farm in Fort Loudon, PA. All the ingredients are bound together with chickpea flour (so these are gluten-free!) and water and flavored with a rainbow of spices. A cucumber, tomato, onion and yogurt salad-ish dipping sauce adds a freshness to the dish, and brings even more local produce to your plate.
While you might not expect to see Indian dishes on the menu of a falafel joint, that kind of cultural fusion is what Falafel Shack is all about. Its owners Amer and Jasmina Chaudhry both infuse their cultures throughout the Falafel Shack’s food and decor; Amer was born and raised in Saudi Arabia and is of Pakistani and Bengali descent, and Jasmina is from Bosnia. So, on the menu of their from-scratch eatery, you’ll find chicken shawarma and baba ganoush alongside samosas and pakoras, a fatoosh salad and channa masala — Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavors mingling harmoniously, driven by the Chaudhrys’ passion for local, seasonal ingredients.
Check out our video to watch Amer make yogurt and pakora, then head here for the full recipe!
- Video and photo: Dish Works
