Gol Piyaji - Onion Ring pakoda - Onion Ring Fritters

This is a variation of my earlier onion pakoda / peyaji recipe found here. The difference is the shape of the pakoda and a there is a bit of change in ingredients. Here goes the one which I did yesterday.

Preparation Time: - 10 min

Cooking Time: - 15 min

Servings: - 2 persons (varies from person to person)

Ingredients:-  

1. 1 medium sized Onion cut into rounds
2. ½ cup Gram Flour / Besan
3. ½ tsp Kashmiri Red chilli Powder (you can use more according to your taste)
4. ½ tsp Cumin seeds or 1 tsp Kalonji / Nigella seeds – I used cumin seeds
5. 1 tbsp Rice Flour
6. Few chopped Curry leaves (preferably dry)
7. Pinch of baking soda (optional)
8. Salt to taste
9. Water as required to make a thick batter
10. Sufficient oil for deep frying (I used Sunflower)

Preparation:-

1. Peel and cut the onions into thick rounds and separate the rings as shown in picture. Keep aside.
   
2. Mix all other ingredients except oil in a small bowl. I used cumin seeds but you can use Kalonji / Nigella seeds. Also you can use coriander leaves instead of curry leaves.
3. Add water slowly and make a thick batter by kneading with fingers. The batter should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Also too much water makes the ultimate product less crispy.
   
4. Heat oil in a frying pan / kadai over medium flame.
5. Throw a pinch of the mixture in oil. If it start floating immediately then the oil is sufficiently hot for deep frying.
6. Dip the rings into the batter so that it coats all the ring completely and gently drop into the oil.
7. You should not pour all the rings at a time. Please keep sufficient space between them. I fried in batches of 6~7. This also depends upon the size of your frying pan / kadai.
   
8. Keep the burner on medium flame and fry until they turn golden brown in color – Stir occasionally so that they cook evenly on all sides.
   
   
   
   
   
9. Take the pakodas from oil by a slotted spoon. Keep them on paper towel so that the excess oil is drained.
10. Repeat the process for remaining batter and deep-fry in batches.
    

Serve them hot with chutney / tomato sauce. This is a delightful evening snacks that goes well with puffed rice and tea/coffee.

Please note that:- 

1.     Since onion releases lot of juice, do not keep the batter for long. Instead prepare the batter fresh just before frying.

2.     For the same reason, if you want to prepare the batter now and use it over 1~2 days then do not add more than 1 tsp of water while making the batter. The water released from onion will be sufficient to coat the pieces with the mixture.

3.     Please do not fry in low flame as that would make the pakodas absorb too much oil which is unhealthy.

As always please feel free to comment, criticize and seek if any help is required. I am all ears.