The Indian springtime festival of Holi is is coming up pretty soon folks. And unfortunately, I won’t be able to make it out to India in time to partake in the festivities. Not that I really had the cash lying around to do so anyway, but like come on, let a man dream a little. None the less, I figured that this would be a great excuse to try and make a classic Indian dish that I have never attempted to make before. And what better dish to make than one of the subcontinent’s most celebrated appetizers, onion pakora.
Now for those of you who are unfamiliar with it, onion pakora, or pakoda as it is sometimes called, is essentially just the Indian version of fritters. I.e. ingredients covered in a light batter and fried. However, unlike an American style fritter, such as our recipe for zucchini fritters, pakora has two main differences.
For starters, It uses chickpea flour (or besan as it is known in India) instead of the typical wheat flour we’d find in American recipes. Not only does this provide the fritters with a slightly “nutty” flavor, but the flour is also packed with a higher amount of protein and fibers. So I guess it’s healthier? Plus if you suffer from celiac disease then you should be happy to learn that chickpea flour is entirely gluten-free! 🙂
The other way that pakoras differ from American fritters is unsurprisingly the heavy use of spices. This is an Indian dish, after all, It’s got to have a good variety of spices. For example in today’s recipe, we are going to be using a mix of chili powder, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and garam masala (which in itself is a mixture of 5 different spices). Which is great because it provides a bit more depth and sophistication to a dish that is essentially just fried onions and batter.
So if that all sounds good to you then let’s get into our recipe for onion pakoras.
Tips, Tricks & Suggestions
- Onions aren’t the only type of vegetable used in making pakoras. In fact, potato pakoras, cabbage pakoras, eggplant pakoras, and even mixed vegetable pakoras are all just as, if not more popular than onion pakoras. So if you’re feeling up to it then try swapping out the onions with some of those other options. Just make sure that whatever vegetable you use is sliced thin.
- You will notice that when it comes to both the cumin and coriander in this recipe I have stated that they should be coarsely ground. That means you are going to need both ingredients in the whole seed form, along with a mortar and pestle. Simply grind them enough so that they break but aren’t crushed into a powder. And while I do think this creates a better flavor in the pakoras, if you don’t have a mortar and pestle then please just use regular old ground cumin powder and coriander. It will still taste great.
Onion Pakora Recipe
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 10 Minutes
Servings: 8 people
Ingredients
2 Large onions, thinly sliced
1 Cup of chickpea flour
¼ Cup of cilantro, chopped
1 Inch piece of ginger, minced
1 Teaspoon of garam masala powder
½ Teaspoon of salt
½ Teaspoon of chili powder
½ Teaspoon of cumin seeds, coarsely ground
¼ Teaspoon of coriander seeds, coarsely ground
¼ Teaspoon of turmeric
Neutral flavored oil, for frying
Water
Instructions
- Prep the onions: Get out a large bowl and add the sliced onions, cilantro, ginger and spices to it. Mix all of these ingredients together and let them sit for 15 minutes.
- Coat the onions in batter: Add the chickpea flour to the bowl and mix until it coats all of the onions. Then add 2 tablespoons of water and mix it in until a batter forms around all of the onions.
Let this sit for another 10 minutes.
- While those are sitting get out a large walled pot and fill it with enough oil so that it comes up 1 ½ to 2 inches. Place this pot over medium-high heat.
- Fry the pakoras: Check to see if your oil is hot enough by placing one slice of onion into the oil. If the onion comes to the top and is bubbling then the oil is ready.
Then use either a spoon or your hands to drop roughly tablespoon-sized amounts into the oil. Make sure to not overcrowd the pot so it is best to do this in batches. Let the pakoras fry for two to three minutes or until they become nice and golden brown.
Transfer the cooked pakoras to a paper towel-lined plate, and continue until all of the pakoras are cooked.
- Enjoy your onion pakoras immediately and enjoy!
Onion Pakora Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Large onions thinly sliced
- 1 Cup of chickpea flour
- ¼ Cup of cilantro chopped
- 1 Inch piece of ginger minced
- 1 Teaspoon of garam masala powder
- ½ Teaspoon of salt
- ½ Teaspoon of chili powder
- ½ Teaspoon of cumin seeds coarsely ground
- ¼ Teaspoon of coriander seeds coarsely ground
- ¼ Teaspoon of turmeric
- Neutral flavored oil for frying
- Water
Instructions
- Prep the onions: Get out a large bowl and add the sliced onions, cilantro, ginger and spices to it. Mix all of these ingredients together and let them sit for 15 minutes.
- Coat the onions in batter: Add the chickpea flour to the bowl and mix until it coats all of the onions. Then add 2 tablespoons of water and mix it in until a batter forms around all of the onions. Let this sit for another 10 minutes.
- While those are sitting get out a large walled pot and fill it with enough oil so that it comes up 1 ½ to 2 inches. Place this pot over medium-high heat.
- Fry the pakoras: Check to see if your oil is hot enough by placing one slice of onion into the oil. If the onion comes to the top and is bubbling then the oil is ready. Then use either a spoon or your hands to drop roughly tablespoon-sized amounts into the oil. Make sure to not overcrowd the pot so it is best to do this in batches. Let the pakoras fry for two to three minutes or until they become nice and golden brown. Transfer the cooked pakoras to a paper towel-lined plate, and continue until all of the pakoras are cooked.
- Enjoy your onion pakoras immediately and enjoy!
Check out these other onion pakora recipes for more inspiration
From Veg Recipes of India
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