Onion Pakoda Recipe Onion Pakora Kanda Bhaji Whiskaffair

on Jun 07, 2022, Updated Dec 12, 2023 You may like more pakora recipes: Punjabi Bread Pakora, Moong Dal Pakoda, and Palak Pakoda.

About Onion Pakoda (Kanda Bhaji)

Onion Pakoda (Onion Pakora, Kanda Bhaji, Pyaz Pakora) are Indian onion fritters made using chickpea flour (besan), onions, and spices. They are a popular North Indian tea-time snack, especially during the monsoons. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, onion pakoras are an all-time favorite in Indian homes. You will also find many street carts and roadside tea stalls selling piping hot onion bhaji, kadak masala chai, and green chutney. Kanda Bhaji is also perfect for serving at tea parties, get-together snacks, monsoon snacks, or even for a game or movie night. Make the crispiest onion pakora recipe using my easy recipe.

Serving Suggestions

Serve these crispy and delicious deep-fried onion pakoda with your favorite chutney for a tea-time snack. My favorites are Tomato Ketchup, Green Chutney, and Sweet Tamarind Chutney. To Make The Batter – You will need chickpea flour (besan, gram flour) and rice flour. I add rice flour to the batter to make the pakoda crispier, but you can replace rice flour with cornstarch. You will also need salt, Kashmiri red chili powder, ginger, cilantro (fresh coriander leaves), green chilies, asafetida (hing), oil, turmeric powder, and chaat masala powder to make the batter. Oil – Fry the pakoras in neutral-flavored oil, such as light olive, rice bran, or canola oil. You can also fry them in mustard oil, giving them a unique taste. Skip adding asafetida to make the pakora gluten-free. Adjust the green chilies as per your liking. Add chopped curry leaves, fennel seeds (saunf), mint, sesame seeds, crushed coriander seeds, and carom seeds (ajwain) to the batter for a taste change. Add the following ingredients to a large mixing bowl.

2 cups of thinly sliced onions 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder 2 teaspoon finely chopped ginger 2 teaspoon finely chopped cilantro 2 teaspoon finely chopped green chilies ¼ teaspoon asafetida

Mash the ingredients using your fingers until they all come together. Keep the bowl aside for 10 minutes. Note – The onions will release some water during this time. This is a crucial step in making crispy pakoras.

1 cup chickpea flour 2 tablespoon rice flour 2 tablespoon oil

Add ⅛ teaspoon turmeric powder and 1-2 tablespoon of water and mix well to make a thick pakoda batter. The batter should feel like a sticky dough. Note – The consistency of the batter is critical to making crispy pakora. Add water just enough to bring the ingredients together. If the batter is thin, the pakoras will not turn out crispy. Once the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium flame. Note – The temperature of the oil is critical for frying crispy pakoras. It should neither be very high nor very low. Fry The pakoras on medium flame. Drop small pakoda in the hot oil using your fingers and fry until they are golden brown and crisp. Flip the pakoras using a slotted spoon a few times while frying to ensure even browning. Note – Do not overload the pan while frying the pakodas. I fried this amount of batter in 3 batches. If the pan is overloaded, the oil temperature will decrease, and the pakoras will not turn out crispy. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Sprinkle chaat masala on top and serve immediately. Do not fry the onion pakoda on low heat. They will absorb excess oil and will become soggy. Do not fry on too high heat, either. They will turn brown on the outside and remain uncooked on the inside. Always use good quality fresh gram flour. Taste the flour before making the pakoda, as it can get bitter if it is too old. Please do not make the batter and leave it for long. The onions will keep releasing water, and the batter might become loose. If you still have leftover batter, mix more gram flour before frying. You can also serve it with Bread or Pav. In Maharashtra, it is popularly sold under the name of Kanda Bhajiya and Pav. In south Indian darshinis and restaurants, these crispy onion fritters are served with White Coconut Chutney. Do not forget to serve a hot cup of Adrak Wali Chai, Masala Chai, or South Indian Filter Coffee along with these Pakoras.

Storage Suggestions

Pyaz pakora tastes the best when made fresh, just out of oil. You can keep them for 1-2 hours, but they will start to soften a bit. You can air fry or bake the leftover pakora until they are crispy again. I also do not recommend making the batter and storing it. It becomes watery after some time. If you still have some leftover batter, add some gram flour to correct its texture and fry the pakoras.