← Nouns Cooking · Indian

Ingredients

• 3 medium onions (about 300 g), thinly sliced, layers separated
• ¾ tsp Salt
• 120 g gram flour (besan)
• 1½ tbsp Rice flour
• ½ tsp Carom seeds (ajwain) (optional)
• ½ tsp Chilli powder
• 1 pinch Ground turmeric
• 2 Green chilli, finely chopped
• 1 tsp Ginger, finely chopped
• 1 sprig Curry leaves, chopped (or 2 tbsp chopped coriander)
• 2 tbsp water, only if needed
• oil, for deep frying

Method

1. Toss the onions with the salt in a bowl and leave for 10 min. They’ll soften and release liquid, which helps bind the batter.
2. Add the gram flour, rice flour, ajwain, chilli powder, turmeric, green chilli, ginger and curry leaves. Squeeze and mix with your hands until the flour clings to the onions.
3. Only if it still looks dry, sprinkle in water a teaspoon at a time. You want a sticky, shaggy mix, not a runny batter.
4. Heat 5 cm of oil in a deep pan to 175°C (350°F), or until a pinch of the mix rises steadily with lots of bubbles.
5. Drop in small, loose clumps without packing them. Fry in batches for 4–5 min, turning, until deep golden and crisp, keeping the heat at medium.
6. Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot with green chutney, ketchup or chai.

Tips

• Never leave hot oil unattended, and keep a lid nearby; don’t overcrowd the pan or the oil temperature drops and the fritters turn greasy.
• Loose, scruffy clumps fry up crunchier than tight balls.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Swasthi's Recipes Hebbar's Kitchen