Pyaaz ke Pakode /Onion Chickpea Fritters

Sweta C
Mar 6, 2017
3 min read

Pakodas? Seriously! that's so not me. I adored them as a child. But years ago, i happened to be at the David's kitchen in Aizawl with two of my friends. 6 pakodas for 300 and 3 of us to share :( Gosh, those pakodas tasted ok but did burn a hole in my wallet. And to top it all, Pakoda's served at my office cafeteria would be willingly shared across the table coz it would be as hard as a stone. I would have pelted some people with those Pakodas. Brilliant!!! Isn't it? I am wondering why had i not thought of it before :P

Though, I am trying to keep a watch on my calorie intake, having deep fried food once in a while is all right if only you could limit yourself. Moreover, its better to eat fried food at home as you can control the type of oil or the temperature of the oil for frying. Just use a good quality oil and ensure that the oil does not go above its smoke-point in your frying pan/fryer. Because past its smoke point it will start to breakdown to release free radicals which has adverse effects on health.

This recipe calls for simple ingredients sure to be found in your kitchen. The addition of carom seeds and dried fenugreek leaves gives an earthy flavor to the fritters. Also, Asafoetida has amazing properties to alleviate stomach problems. So, what are we waiting for? Lets quickly grab the recipe.

Ingredients:

Besan/ Gram flour/ Chickpea flour - 1/2 cups

Onion - 1 large

Ginger - 1 inch grated

Green chilies - 2

Ajwain/ Carom seeds - 1/2 tsp

Kalonji/ Nigella seeds- 1/4 tsp

Kasoori methi/ dried fenugreek leaves - 1 tsp

Hing/Asafoetida - 1 pinch

Baking Soda- 1/4 tsp

Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp

Oil - for deep frying

Directions:

- Chop the onion into small cubes or julienne. Finely chop green chilies and grate the ginger.

-In a large mixing bowl, take all the ingredients except baking soda, oil and gram flour. Mix well and set aside for 5 min for the onion to release some moisture because of the salt.

- In a pan heat some oil on medium heat.

- Now, add baking soda n gram flour to the onion mixture bit by bit and keep mixing.

- Use your hand to knead well. You might be tempted to add water but be patient as the onion is yet to release a lot of moisture. Keep kneading. The dough will turn sticky. If it feels dry, add little water using a small spoon. Runny dough might make it difficult to work with.

- Scoop out small portions of the mixture and drop it in the medium heated oil.

- Flip to check. Once golden brown on one side flip it to cook on the other side.

- Drain it out on a paper towel placed on a cooling rack.

Serve them hot with Mint chutney or hot and spicy ketchup!!!

Tips:

- Do not fry on high flame as the pakodas will brown quickly but will not be cooked throughout.

- Adding a pinch of baking soda keeps the pakodas soft on the inside.