Monsoons! You either love it or hate it. I belong to the latter category. I know poems have been written about the rains and how it raises the spirits and blah blah blah. But clearly this is the work of someone sitting in the comfort of their homes and blabbing about the elements without experiencing its fury! For the ordinary man/woman who rides a bike to work or who needs to walk to a bus stop the monsoons are nothing but havoc to their plans and clothes and shoes might I add! I am always game for the occasional bout of rain, but five whole months of it??? Spare me the romanticism. Give me one person in Cherrapunji who’s waxed eloquently about it. Comon, think. No? There, I rest my case. Familiarity breeds contempt! It’s only freaking fantastic if you are a farmer looking for the rains for a good crop or someone in a really hot place who needs the spell of rain to cool the temperature down. Bangalore clearly does not need five months of it! Maybe two…tops…and right after summer. Yes, I’ve pleaded with God for this one! OK… maybe I’m being a bit too harsh. There is one time I really love the rains… when I am sitting at home in the balcony and enjoying a hot plate of Pakoda’s. Now that is something to write a poem about!
Onion Pakodas
Prep time: 10 mins
Frying time: 4 mins
Serves: 4
What you need:
2 Med Onions
100 gms Chickpea Flour (Besan/ Channa Dal powder)
½ tsp Baking Powder
½ tsp Chilli Powder
½ tsp Cumin Powder (Jeera)
20 Tbsp lukewarm Water (approx.)
Oil for frying
Salt to taste
What to do:
Peel and finely slice the onions. Sift the flour in a large mixing bowl and add all the powdered ingredients and salt to taste. Spoon in warm water, one table spoon at a time and stir vigorously until you get the consistency of thick yoghurt. Now whisk it well until large bubbles appear on the surface. Make sure there are no lumps.
Meanwhile heat the oil. Now stir the onions into the batter . When the oil starts to sizzle, using your hand or a spoon lift some of the battered onion and drop into the oil. Repeat until there pan is full. Now lower the heat. Fry each pakora for a few seconds on each side, before flipping over. Repeat. When they are a nice golden yellow, remove the pakoras and drain on kitchen paper. Serve pronto with Maggi hot and sweet Ketchup or regular ketchup with ½ tsp Chilli powder for a nice kick!
P.S. Its takes the sting off the onions, if you soak them in some water after peeling them and then slice them.
The FoodPorn Diaries 
Hey Swathy, that sounds like a neat trick. Is it chopped small or you leave it in big florets?
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You could also try the same recipe with cauliflower; boil it in water and 1/4tsp turmeric for 5 mins before adding to the mix.
Adding 1 and 1/2 to 2tsp of Coriander powder, a pinch of garam masala and 1tsp of chat masala will enhance the flavour.
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I usually put in some sliced green chillies and a bit of chopped coriander and pudina as well…
hey swap, remember u used to bring these marinated mushrooms to school?how do u make them?i was dreaming of them the other day!
PS. I'm writing a lil extra now cos of the award you gave me 😉
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