Onion Pakodas - Extra Crispy!

Say hello to these super crispy, street style Onion Pakodas which are the OG rainy day snack! I have also included tips to help you make them super crispy, just like your chai wala!

Yes, I lied. In my Baked Onion Pakoda  recipe I had promised never to go back to fried stuff coz baking = health. But here we are with more monsoon snacks!! Rainy day, Bangalore weather, who can resist, right? Pakoda to mangta hai yaar! This recipe is for those who, like me, believe in selective dieting (as and when we please basis, LOL). Consider this your cheat day treat and make these now! However, if you are on a strict diet and craving pakodas, try the healthier baked version.

We all love pakodas crispy and I’m gonna tell you two important details that I pay attention to while making kanda bhajiya or kanda bhaji. These are the ones that’ll make them super crispy and crunchy just like you get at the chai wala down the street.

How To Cut The Onions Right

Onions are one of the veggies that have a lot of water content and we don’t all that water making our pakodas soggy. Cutting thick slices will make soggy pakodas and there’s also the risk of the onions not cooking on the inside. Cut the onions into thin slices so they can be coated with the batter well. Use a sharp knife, a spiralizer or a mandolin to get really thin slices. That way they cook faster and crisp up real nice.

Make A Dry Mixture

Onions, because of their water content, tend to keep leaving water. So a watery batter doesn’t work well. We’ve learnt to use a relatively dry mixture with very little water to coat the onion pakoras. Don’t worry, this does not make the outside layer thick and blubbery. 

I use a mixture of besan (chickpea flour) and rice flour. The chickpea flour binds nicely and the rice flour adds extra crispness.

Top tips to make the best pakodas:

• As I always say, season the batter and onions really well before frying. It makes a world of difference!
• Store-bought besan atta can go rancid very quickly. So if you're using gram flour that's been lying in your fridge for quite some time, I would recommend doing a taste test to see if it's gone bitter before using it to make pakodas.
• Add the dry ingredients to the onions, mix well and let it sit for a few minutes before deciding if you need water. The onions will leave water in the process which will help coat the batter to the onions.
• Make sure the oil is hot before frying. If the oil isn’t hot enough, the pakodas will soak up the oil and you’ll have a very unappetising oily after-taste + soggy pakodas. Do a test pakoda to check the temperature and taste that one before frying the whole batch. 
• Dunk these into tomato ketchup or Green Coriander Chutney for maximum satisfaction!
• Serve ‘em up with any of these 5 Amazing Chai Recipes to go with the pakodas.

Watch Onion Pakodas Recipe Video

Onion Pakora

With my easy dry batter trick, you'll always have crispest onion pakodas. These make for a fantastic evening or pre-dinner snack and work really with my coriander chutney or just plain ketchup!

5 from 6 votes

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Course: Snacks & Appetizers

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 152kcal

Author: Richa

Ingredients

• ▢ 3 Onions thinly sliced (approx ⅛ inch)
• ▢ 1 cup Besan or Gram flour
• ▢ 3 tablespoon Rice Flour
• ▢ 2 teaspoon Chilli Powder or Paprika
• ▢ a pinch Hing or Asafoetida
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon Ajwain
• ▢ 2 teaspoon Salt
• ▢ ½ tablespoon Ginger Garlic paste
• ▢ a pinch Baking Soda
• ▢ 1 ½ cups Oil for deep frying

Instructions

• Thinly slice onions and soak in some water. Keep aside.
• Drain the onions and place them into a bowl. Add gram flour, rice flour, chilli powder, hing, ajwain, salt, ginger garlic paste and baking soda. Toss the onions in the dry mixture and smash them with your hands. Wait for a few minutes and toss once or twice. The onions will start releasing water and the dry batter will convert into a semi wet mixture. Add just a tablespoon or so of water if required to create a thick-ish coating around the onions.
• Heat oil in a deep pan or kadai over medium flame. To check if the oil is hot enough, drop a small piece of onion into the oil. It should quickly float to the top.
• Gently drop lime sized battered onions into the oil. Don't overcrowd. Fry on a medium flame to ensure the pakodas are cooked from inside. This will take about 3-5 minutes.
• Using a skimmer, remove the pakoda and drain the excess oil. Move to a paper towel and let the remaining oil soak onto the paper towel. Sprinkle some chaat masala on top and serve hot!

Video

Notes

1. Make sure to slice the onions to approx ⅛th inch. Too thick and they'll take too long to fry; too thin and they'll burn quickly
2. You can make vegetable pakoras or even pakoras with cauliflower florets, spinach, brinjal, methi or fenugreek leaves.
3. You can omit rice flour if it is not easily available and just use gram flour for making pakoras. But we highly recommend using rice flour because it makes these pakoras extra crispy
4. Cottage cheese or Paneer Pakoras are another variation of these thats super tasty.
5. Pakoras don't do well with storing. Fry them and serve them immediately

Nutrition

Calories: 152kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1183mg | Potassium: 140mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 297IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg

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• Paneer Pakodas
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• Mexican Corn Fritters
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