on Sep 23, 2020 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
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