Re: pakoras!
Hmm tomato pakoray sound interesting, do they mush up after frying?
We do thinly sliced potatoes, sliced onions, lots of coriander, sometimes thin slices of eggplant & some chopped spinach. Add besan and typical spices (salt, pepper, chopped chillies, crushed coriander seeds, some javain, anardana seeds, zeera sometimes, also sometime a little chat masala). Add besan and a pinch of baking soda. Add enough water to besan to hold it together. We dont like too much besan, just enough to hold the veggies together, they come out lighter and crispier. Yummy. Served with green chutney or mayo/ketchup mix...it rocks!
Also do a mix of besan with all the spices & you can dip thick or thin slices of potatoes or eggplant, broccoli, cauliflower....anything really...even fish filets/chicken tenders...etc...but i think its a waste of good chicken to make pakoray out of it.