Onion Pakoras

Fried deliciousness! Growing up rainy day treats meant pakoras or pudas. Never did kids hope for rain as much as we did. Onion pakoras with chai topped it with some Maggi chili sauce and you’re in heaven.

Onion pakoras are crispy, savory, and so amazingly flavorful. Just thinking about them makes my mouth water. The best part about mixed pakoras is that you can let your imagination run wild with them. You literally can fry any vegetable or meat you love. Traditional pakoras are potato, onion, spinach, chili peppers, and cauliflower. That said, I’ve fried zucchini, okra, asparagus, mushrooms, carrots, and the list goes on.

Every time I think about pakoras I can’t help but think about being at a road side stand eating them hot out of the kadai. Regardless of whether it was winter or summer, pakoras were always on the top of our food lists. You’d stand in front of a cart waiting for the fresh batch to be pulled out of the fryer. You could smell the batter cooking, the chilies, ginger, and spices mixing together. Hear the excited chatter about how this particular stand had the best pakoras in town. And eagerly anticipate biting into the piping hot pakora. You always had to make sure to get to the stand on time because inevitably they’d sell out. There was no such thing as made to order or an endless supply. There was no greater sadness than being late and hearing, “Sorry, no more”.

They’re incredibly easy to make and quite fast as things go. They’re amazing piping hot with a cup of adrak chai. In Punjab it’s incredibly common to have pakoras as an appetizer or snack, regardless of time of day. They really don’t last that well in the fridge, so it’s best to make them fresh. If I know I’m going to make them over a couple days I make the batter and refrigerate it. Then just mix in the veggies and fry them.

How about some more pakora goodness? Try these:

Onion Pakoras

Course: Appetizers, SnacksCuisine: PunjabiDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

50

minutes

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cup besan (gram flour)

• 1 tbsp chili flakes

• 2 tbsp cumin, ground

• 1 tbsp coriander seeds, ground

• 3 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 2 1/2 cups water

• 1/2 medium-sized onion, diced

• 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

• 1 serrano pepper, diced

• 3 tbsp ginger, finely minced

• Oil for frying

• 3 onion, cut into thin wedges

Equipment/Specialty Items

• BesanBesan
• Cumin SeedsCumin Seeds
• Coriander SeedsCoriander Seeds
• Frying SpiderSpider
• Maggi SauceMaggi Hot & Sweet Tomato Chilli Sauce

Directions

• Mix besan, chili flakes, ground cumin, ground coriander seeds, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in medium mixing bowl.
• Add in water and whisk till smooth.
• Mix in diced onions, cilantro, serrano pepper, and ginger.
• Heat oil in a nonstick pot over medium heat. You want about 3 inches of oil in the pot.
• To see if your oil is ready drop in 3 or 4 drops of the batter and see if they rise to the top. If they pop up too fast and turn dark brown your oil is too hot. If the drops of batter stay at the bottom of the pot, the oil is too cold.
• Batter onions and fry in batches until golden brown.
• Serve hot. Accompanies well with sweet chili sauce or ketchup.

Notes

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