Onion Pakoda | Eerulli Bajji | Kanda Bhaji | Onion Pakora | Onion Fritters
Author: 
Recipe type: Starter/Appetizer
Cuisine: Indian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12-14 small lemon sized pakodas
 
Crisp pakodas to enjoy on a rainy evening
Ingredients
For dry mixture:
  • ½ Cup besan/gram flour/kadale hittu
  • 2 Tbsp rice flour/chawal ka atta/akki hittu
  • 1 Tbsp fine semolina/fine rava/chiroti rave
  • Salt to taste
  • ½ Tsp sugar
  • ¼ Tsp turmeric/haldi
  • ½ Tsp red chilli powder/lal mirch powder
  • ⅛ Tsp asafoetida/hing/ingu
  • ¼ Tsp ajwain/carom seeds/om kaalu
  • A pinch of baking soda (optional)
  • Few curry leaves/karibevu
For pakodas:
  • 2 Big onions
  • Water to bind
  • Oil to deep fry
Method
  1. Slice onions lengthwise or horizontally. I slice them horizontally, they slice thinner and slices are longer. Separate out the slices and keep aside
  2. In a bowl, start mixing dry ingredients. Add besan. Add rava and rice flour
  3. Add salt, sugar
  4. Add red chilli powder, turmeric and hing. Mix well
  5. Add ajwain and mix well
  6. Add a pinch of baking soda. Mix well till combined
  7. Add a few curry leaves. Mix and keep aside
  8. In a bigger bowl add onion slices
  9. To this, add the dry mixture. Mix well till besan mixture coats all onion slices
  10. Add a couple of tbsp of water. Mix well. Add a little more water if it is dry. I added around ¼ cup of water to bind it all together
  11. Heat oil on low-medium flame. Make small lemon sized balls with the onion mixture. Slowly drop into heated oil. Repeat for a few more pakodas
  12. Fry on medium flame till golden
  13. Remove from oil and put pakodas on kitchen paper towels to drain off excess oil
  14. Squeeze a little lemon juice on top. Serve with ketchup and a hot cup of coffee
Notes
When making pakodas do NOT press them tightly. Let them be rustic with a few onion slices poking out, this will make them crisp and not hard and chewy

Add water slowly while mixing, you do not want to end up with a batter but just enough to bind them all together to shape them

Add chopped green chillies if you want

Adding a bit of sugar gives a nice colour to the pakodas and balances all flavours

Adding a tbsp of fine rava makes the pakodas crisp
Recipe by Food Of Interest at https://foodofinterest.com/onion-pakoda/