I can remember my mum cooking pakora all the time. These were a staple for when guests arrived unannounced, which believe me happened a lot! They take minutes to cook and are lighter than the onion bhajis most people are used to. My son once described them as little aliens as I was scooping them out of the fryer - they are crispy and spiky and a mishmash of shapes.

I cook pakora in a number of different ways, either with onion and potato or a mixture of vegetables; onion, potato, aubergines and cauliflower. You can also make them with just slices of aubergine or potato or even whole chillies.

This is the basic pakora recipe which is a great place to start - remember to season to your taste with as much or as little spice as you like.

To get the main ingredients for my Pakora recipe, check out my pakora curry kit here.