Onion Pakoras
Time: 1 hr | Difficulty: 3/5 | Recommendation: Weeknight meal, or make them to share
I loooove pakoras. And they’re actually super simple to make at home!! It’s just chickpea flour and water and a bunch of spices! You do have to fry them, which was scary to me the first time, but if you use a really big pot, make sure your ingredients are patted dry before adding the batter, and never take your eye off the oil, it’s really not that daunting. Once I discovered how easy (and DELICIOUS) they were, the door was opened and I started to pakora-fy everything! You can make mushroom pakoras, zucchini flower pakoras, green garlic pakoras, paneer pakoras, even apple pakoras!! The possibilities are really endless. And by the way, these are even better the next day as leftovers—they do lose their crispiness, but they gain even more flavor!!
Ingredients/Tools:
2 white onions
Chickpea flour
Spices (I used cumin, coriander, turmeric, paprika, chili powder)
Cilantro (optional)
1 green chili (optional)
Vegetable oil
A big pot
A big bowl
A metal slotted spoon
Method:
Chop the onions into thin strips. Chop the cilantro, and finely dice the green chili (discarding the seeds). Add to a big bowl.
Sprinkle on a lot of chickpea flour, then add salt, pepper, and your spices (about a tablespoon each). Mix it all.
Gradually alternate adding water and chickpea flour until you get a batter consistency that covers all the ingredients. It should be thick enough that everything sort of clumps together, but thin enough to see through to the onions. You’ll end up using at least a cup of water.
Heat up vegetable oil in a big pot, a couple inches deep.
Test out the heat of the oil by dropping in a tiny bit of batter or onion. When the little onion is making noise and bubbling, the oil is hot enough.
Make a small clump of the onion mixture with your hand, then carefully drop it into the oil. Flip it a couple times and remove when golden brown, after about a minute and a half. (You’ll know it’s almost done when the bubbles have really lessened—listen to the pakora!) Set aside on a paper towel to drain.
Enjoy with some tamarind sauce, ketchup, or mint chutney!
Want another pakora recipe? Try these classic, easy paneer pakoras!