As I sit here in my apartment soaking the sunlight seeping from my balcony door (a rare sunny day in Sweden), I am reading about the delayed monsoons in India. The much-awaited rains have arrived few days back in Mumbai. Ah!! the smell of the soil after first rains and the drop in temperatures when it has rained for several days! I miss Mumbai rains 🙂
Onion Pakora has special importance during monsoons in India. Introduce me to one Indian who hasn’t liked drinking hot cup of tea or coffee during rains. Onion pakora is called “bhaji “(भज्जी ) in Maharashtrian language. I made some onion bhajjis for my colleagues today. They liked it. It is never too spicy and fried food is easy to relate to in any cuisine. Chickpea flour or gram flour or Besan used in this recipe. Its called “Kikärtsmjöl” in Svenska (Swedish language). Since its gluten free, people with allergy to gluten can find this a good starter.

Ingredients:

2 onions (chopped length wise, sort of julienne )

3-4 tbsps gram flour/Besan/chickpea flour

3 green chilies (finely cut into small pieces)

1 clove of garlic (smashed and finely cu)t

2-3 tsps Water

Salt to taste

1tsp red pepper powder

1tsp coriander powder

1tsp kitchen king masala

1/2tsp turmeric powder

1/2tsp asafetida powder

Finely chopped coriander leaves

1/2 tsp fennel and cumin seeds

Oil for frying

Optional : rice flour, cornstarch

Method:

Take a bowl and add the onions in it. Add salt, green chilies and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Now start adding all the ingredients mentioned above. Don’t add water, the 10 minutes resting period has already helped onion to lose some water. Mix the flour with onions using it. Add extra water only if you think the batter is not thin enough to hold the onions like a loose patty!

Keep the oil for heating for frying while you are mixing the ingredients. The oil should be hot enough to hear the cracking sound when you immerse the first spoon of onion-chickpea flour batter for frying. Make as many pakoras as possible!

Deep fry the pakoras till they turn golden brown. Remove them on tissue paper. Dab all the oil and it’s taxi to serve. Rice flour or corn flour can be added to increase the crispiness of the pakora. “Ajwain” is added to the pakora as it helps in digestion.

Enjoy the Pakoras with tomato ketchup and hot tea! Enjoy the monsoons 🙂