Onion pakora recipe | Pyaaz ke pakode | Kanda bhaji | How to make onion fritters
Onion pakora or Kanda bhaji, made with onions coated with besan (gram flour) and then deep-fried, is the most popular tea time snack recipe. Winter is here and everyone enjoys the soothing combination of a hot cup of ginger tea with the onion pakoras. This is one of the easiest and quickest recipes which can be made within 15 20 minutes and tastes amazing.
Basically, the deep fried onion fritters are prepared with thinly sliced onions coated with gram flour and rice flour along with other dry spices. It is then deep-fried in small batches till it turns golden brown and crispy.
Pakora’s are usually served as a snack or as an appetizer with tomato ketchup or spicy green chutney made with chillies and coriander. There is a common practice in Maharashtra of serving pakora’s stuffed in pav or bread slices along with dry coconut chutney, green coriander chutney and tamarind date sweet chutney. It is called bhaji pav and is very much similar to vada pav.
Furthermore, let me share a few important suggestions for making the pakoras. Firstly, depending on your likings, for crispier pakoras make a thin coating of besan and for dense and soft pakoras make a thick coating. Make sure to cut thin slices of onions to have it cooked properly. Secondly, add a tsp of baking soda and a tbsp of oil in the besan mixture, this way it absorbs less oil while deep frying and it turns crunchier.
Onion pakora recipe card
Onion pakora recipe card
Materials
- 3 medium onions thinly sliced
- 1 cup gram flour or besan
- 2 to 3 tbsp rice flour
- 1 tsp oil
- 2 green chillies finely chopped
- ½ cup fresh coriander leaves finely chopped
- ½ tsp haldi/turmeric powder
- ½ tsp lal mirch/red chilli powder
- 1 tsp kitchen king masala
- Salt to taste
- Pinch of asafoetida
- 1 tsp ajwain/carom seeds roughly crushed
- 1 tsp jeera/cumin seeds roughly crushed
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add besan (gram flour) and rice flour.
- Then, add jeera, ajwain, haldi, red chilli powder, kitchen king masala, asafoetida, and salt into the same bowl.
- Give it a nice mix and then add finely chopped green chillies, coriander leaves and thinly sliced onions.
- Now, add a tsp of oil and without adding water mix all the dry ingredients with onion. And while mixing squeeze onions with little pressure, it will release the moisture from onions.
- Then, add little water in the bowl and get a proper consistency. For soft and dense pakoras, add little amount of water. And For crispy and crunchy pakoras, add more water till onions can be held together.
- Now, cover and keep the batter aside for 15 to 20 mins.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in the pan for frying on medium-high flame.
- Now, mix the besan and onion batter with the spoon or fork and put a small drop of besan in oil to check if oil is sufficiently hot.
- When the oil is sufficiently hot, drop the spoonful of onions in the oil and keep the flame on medium.
- Depending on the size of kadhai, drop few more onion batter in the pan and accordingly lower or increase the flame.
- When the pakoras are fried from one side, flip it with the help of a slotted spoon.
- Fry the pakoras from both the sides by flipping it until they are evenly cooked and turns crisp and golden brown in colour.
- Now, remove the fried pakoras with the slotted spoon and drain the excess oil and place it on a kitchen towel.
- Similarly, fry the remaining onion pakoras in the same way.
- Onion pakoras are ready to be served with green chutney, tomato sauce or with fried green chillies.
Step by step Instructions
For making crispy onion pakoras:
- In a large mixing bowl, add besan (gram flour) and rice flour.
- Then, add jeera, ajwain, haldi, red chilli powder, kitchen king masala, asafoetida, and salt into the same bowl.
- Give it a nice mix and then add finely chopped green chillies, coriander leaves and thinly sliced onions.
- Now, add a tsp of oil and without adding water mix all the dry ingredients with onion. And while mixing squeeze onions with little pressure, it will release the moisture from onions.
- Then, add little water in the bowl and get a proper consistency. For soft and dense pakoras, add little amount of water. And For crispy and crunchy pakoras, add more water till onions can be held together.
- Now, cover and keep the batter aside for 15 to 20 mins.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in the pan for frying on medium-high flame.
- Now, mix the besan and onion batter with the spoon or fork and put a small drop of besan in oil to check if oil is sufficiently hot.
- When the oil is sufficiently hot, drop the spoonful of onions in the oil and keep the flame on medium.
- Depending on the size of kadhai, drop few more onion batter in the pan and accordingly lower or increase the flame.
- When the pakoras are fried from one side, flip it with the help of a slotted spoon.
- Fry the pakoras from both the sides by flipping it until they are evenly cooked and turns crisp and golden brown in colour.
- Now, remove the fried pakoras with the slotted spoon and drain the excess oil and place it on a kitchen towel.
- Similarly, fry the remaining onion pakoras in the same way.
- Onion pakoras are ready to be served with green chutney, tomato sauce or with fried green chillies.
Finally, I would request you to also go through my Breakfast and snacks section. It includes Misal pav, litti chokha, Baingan aloo tamatar chokha, veg quinoa upma etc.
