Crispy Onion & Potato Pakoras

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Sweet sliced onion and shredded potato bound in a spiced chickpea-flour batter and deep-fried until shatteringly crisp. This is the classic Indian rainy-day snack: ten minutes of chopping, one pot of hot oil, and a mountain of golden fritters that disappear straight off the draining rack. A splash of rice flour is the trick that keeps them crunchy long after they leave the oil.

Ingredients

• 2 large onions, halved and sliced thin
• 1 medium russet potato, peeled and coarsely grated
• 1 1/2 tsp fine salt, plus more for sprinkling
• 1 cup chickpea flour (besan)
• 3 tbsp rice flour
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder or paprika
• 1 green chili, finely chopped (optional)
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tbsp cold water, as needed

• 6 cups vegetable oil, for deep-frying

Instructions

1. Put the sliced onions and grated potato in a large bowl, sprinkle over the 1 1/2 tsp salt, and toss well with your hands, squeezing gently. Let sit 10 minutes so the vegetables release their moisture — this water is what hydrates the batter.
2. Add the chickpea flour, rice flour, cumin, turmeric, chili powder, green chili and cilantro to the bowl and mix with your fingers for a minute, scraping the wet vegetables through the flour. Add cold water 1 tablespoon at a time only until the mixture just clings together in craggy clumps; it should look shaggy, not smooth or pourable. Stop adding water as soon as it holds.
3. Pour the oil into a deep, heavy pot to a depth of about 2 inches, making sure the pot is no more than one-third full. Heat over medium to 350°F (175°C) on a thermometer. Safety note: never leave hot oil unattended, keep children and the pot handle away from the edge of the stove, lower food in gently away from you, and pat any wet utensil dry — water in hot oil causes violent spattering. Keep a metal lid nearby to smother flames and never use water on an oil fire.
4. Scoop up a loose 2-tablespoon clump of the mixture with your fingers or a spoon and slide it carefully into the oil. Add 5 or 6 more, leaving space between them; crowding drops the oil temperature and makes them greasy.
5. Fry 4 to 5 minutes, turning once or twice with a slotted spoon, until deep golden brown and firm all over. Adjust the burner to keep the oil between 340°F and 360°F (170–182°C) — pale fritters mean the oil is too cool, dark ones mean it is too hot.
6. Lift onto a wire rack set over a baking sheet (not paper towels, which steam them soft) and sprinkle with a little salt. Let the oil return to 350°F before frying the next batch; repeat until all the mixture is used, about 4 batches.
7. Serve hot with mint chutney, tamarind sauce or plain yogurt. Turn off the heat and let the oil cool completely in the pot before straining or discarding it.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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