In the Indian and Bengali culture, Onion appetizer (Onion Bhajis) is taken as a tea time snack or when we have guests in the house. It is very common dip recipes. These fritters are also served in Indian restaurants as starters or appetizers. We have variety of different dip recipes that can be seen in a common household and children love the flavor of onions fried in gram flour batter. Onion dip is crispy fritters made of gram flour base (aka “Besan”) which is easily available  today in Indian or Asian shops and also in any big store.

 Onion Appetizer - Onion Bhajis

For 4 persons - Preparation: 15 min - Frying: 15 minutes Utensils required: A deep fryer or a deep saucepan Vegetable oil for deep frying

Ingredients

250 grams onions 120 grams of besan 2 tea spoon cumin seeds 1/2 tea spoon turmeric powder 1 tea spoon coriander powder 1 green or red chili (seedless and finely chopped) 1 table spoon of finely chopped fresh coriander leaves

Procedure

Slice the onions in thin strips or you can even cut them into onion rings. To make the Batter, in a bowl add the gram flour, the cumin seeds, the turmeric and coriander powder, the chopped chili and the finely chopped coriander leaves. Add some cold water little by little to the mixture; enough to obtain a thick consistent a thick paste. Now add the onion strips or rings to the mixture It is now time to prepare the deep fryer. Fill the deep fryer with vegetable oil and heat it to 190° C. Two methods to fry your Onion Bhaji fritters.

Method 1: Onion Strips

Add the onion strips to the mixture. With the help of two table spoons form a shape in the size of a golf ball and dip them in the oil.

Method 2: Onion Rings

Add the onion rings to the mixture. With the help of cooking tongs, pick up the onion and dip them in the oil.

Deep fry them until it is has a brown color all around while turning them from time to time. Take out the fritters from the oil with a skimmer and drain them on absorbent paper to take out the extra oil from the onion fritters. Put the fritters again in the deep fryer and fry it for a second time so that it becomes golden and crispy. Take out the fritters from the oil with a skimmer and drain them on absorbent and serve them hot. They taste delicious with mint sauce or even with ketchup This is also served with Raita a sauce made out of chopped mint leaves, lemon juice, black pepper and natural yogurt.

 Tips:

To check if the temperature is right, when you dip the fritters into the oil, it should rise to the surface within seconds. This means that the oil has the right temperature.

Bon Appétit!!