A - Z Indian Street Foods ~ O for Onion Pakoda

This April has been weird in terms of weather. Besides showers, it has been bringing on and off snowfalls as well including today's one. It is the 6th one of the month for us though the accumulation on the ground is melting by the next day's sun and we didn't have to shovel in the below freezing weather. Days of the month had been more cloudier and I am not sure whether the ground will thaw enough to bring flowers in May.

Blame it on weather or the street food themed marathon of mine, I have been deep frying more and more this month and making my husband happy. 😋 Probably I finished my year quota of deep frying in one month. 😕 I prepared these crunchy, delicious chickpea flour based onion fritters yesterday and ate all by myself as there was no one home to share them with. They go by the name pakoda, pakora, pakodi depending upon the region you live in India. These fritters are not region specific and enjoyed through out the nation with unequivocal love whether savoring with family on a cold evening with a cup of coffee or tea or hanging out with friends and eating at a street joint. 

They are simple to prepare at home. The pakoda batter must be prepared really thick / tight and fried on low flame. If the batter gets thinner, one would end up with another popular fritter called bhajiya / bajji instead. Mixed vegetables / greens can be mixed as well while preparing batter. If onions are not preferred, they can be replaced with cashews or peanuts as well and these can be stored longer.

Ingredients required:
3/4 cup besan / chickpea flour
2 - 3 tbsp. rice flour
2 onions, thinly sliced lengthwise (about 1 cup)
Chili powder to taste (Chili powder + finely chopped green chilies can be used. I skip chilies when serving kids)
Salt to taste
Few curry leaves, finely minced
2 tbsp. hot oil
Oil for deep frying 

Method:
* Mix all the ingredients except the oil to fry in a bowl. Add a tbsp. or two of water and prepare a firm dough.
* Heat the oil in a kadai or a deep-bottomed pan. When the oil is hot, drop small portions of the batter with your fingers in the hot oil. Turn the heat setting to lowest and fry them until they turn golden brown. Fry as many pakoda as the pan can fit without overcrowding. Remove them with a slotted spoon onto absorbent towels. Repeat the process with the remaining batter.
(Do not fry them until they turn to a dark shade. If the onions turn black, they would turn bitter.)

So far, on this series,
A for Aloo Kabli
B for Bajra Vada
C for Chooda Matar
D for Dahi Batata Puri
E for Elaichi - Kesar Lassi
F for Fulwadi
G for Ghugni Chaat
H for Hare Chane Ki Chaat
I for Indori Garaadu Chaat
J for Jamun Bun
K for Khakra - Chana Bhel 
L for Locho
M for Masala Puri Chaat
N for Nippattu Masala Chaat

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 87

An InLinkz Link-up

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