Onion Pakoda – Crispy deep fried lentil fritters, a popular street side savoury snack in Tamil Nadu. Colloquial term used for this type is Gharam Pakoda. (Onion Pakora / Onion Pakodi / Onion Pakoda / Ulli Pakodi / Pakora / Pattanam Pakoda / Sweet Stall Pakoda)Proportion really matters a lot for this recipe, even an extra drop of water could turn them soft. I’ve tried my best to explain with right measures and pictures to make it easy for all. Enjoy!!!| Ingredients | |
|---|---|
| 1 cup | Gram flour |
| ½ cup | Rice flour (add 3 tbsp along with this) |
| ¼ teaspoon | Baking soda |
| 1¼ teaspoon | Salt |
| 3 tablespoons | Ghee / vanaspathi (room temperature) |
| ¼ cup | Water |
| 1 cup | Onion (cut lengthwise) (medium) |
| 2 | Green chili (finely chopped) (medium) |
| 5 cloves | Garlic (crushed) |
| 1 tablespoon | Ginger (crushed) |
| 1/2 teaspoon | Cumin seeds |
| 1/2 teaspoon | Fennel seeds (optional) |
| 1/4 teaspoon | Asafoetida powder |
| ¼ teaspoon | Turmeric powder |
| 1/2 teaspoon | Red chili powder (spicy) |
| 3 cups | Oil (for deep frying) |
| 30 | Curry leaves |
| a little | Coriander leaves (optional) |
(Onion Pakora / Onion Pakodi / Onion Pakoda / Ulli Pakodi / Pakora / Pattanam Pakoda / Sweet Stall Pakoda/ Garam Pakoda)
Lets see how to make Onion Pakoda…
1. If ghee or vanaspathi is cold, just bring them to room temperature.
2. Cream ghee or vanaspathi with baking soda until its well blended.
3. Combine gram flour, rice flour, turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt. Add this to the creamed fat and mix to form a crumbly textured flour.
4. To this, add onions, chopped chilies, curry leaves, cumin, fennel, asafoetida, crushed ginger and garlic. Mix well to coat the flour mixture on all sides.
5. Slowly add water as you knead and form a stiff dough. It should look like a thick mass, but not too sticky.
6. Meanwhile heat oil in a kadai(medium high flame). When its ready, try a sample first. Fry till golden on all sides, cool and wait for 10 minutes. Now taste it to check whether its crunchy enough.
Possible mistakes 
a. If oil temperature is too low, the dough would actually sink and if you still keep frying, it would suck too much oil. Will melt and mess your oil. Remedy — No escape, let the oil cool completely, drain the wastage and start again.
b. By mistake if you add more water and if the dough looks too soft then you would end up making medhu pakodas. Its OK, but in order to make them crispy, the dough should be just about firm. Remedy— Add extra rice flour, adjust salt and try again.
c. If you fry them too long expecting them to turn crispy, you will end up having very hard (rock)pakodas. Please do not keep them too long, when they are evenly browned, the vigorous bubbles will settle and that’s the key to remove.
Some Pakoda recipes to try..
7. Now that everything’s perfect, go ahead and drop little portions in the hot oil and deep fry. Drain excess fat in a paper towel. Cool completely and then store in air-tight box for up to a week.
Notes
- Makes about 1 kg or 2 pounds (approx).
- When made right these should stay crisp for 4 to 5 days and slowly become soft after that.
- Cashews can be added for extra rich savoury treat.
- You may add mint leaves which gives a nice twist in taste.
- That Ghee is a must to keep it crispy.
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