Onion fritters (payaz pakora)

Ingredients:

• 1 Cups gram flour (besan)
• 1 Large onion – sliced length wise
• ½ Teaspoon carom seeds (ajwaiin)
• 1 Pinch of asafetida (hing) or to taste
• ½ tsp red chili powder
• ½ tsp cumin powder
• ½ tsp salt or to your taste
• ½ Cup of water or as needed
• 2 to 3 cups of vegetable oil for frying

Recipe:

In a bowl place gram flour (besan) add chili powder, asafetida, cumin powder,carom seed and salt and mix everything together. Now add sliced onions into gram flour and mix. Add ½ cup of water little at a time and mix it well. Mixture should not be too watery it should be thick enough to pick up with fingers.Heat 2 cups of oil in a frying pan or kadhai. For first 5 minutes keep the heat high so that oil get hot quickly then reduce the heat to medium.When oil start smoking that means it is hot enough, to test drop a small ball of pakora paste in the hot oil, if the dough start frying and comes up it means it is the right heat but if it become too dark quickly it means oil is too hot, and inside of the pakoras will stay doughy. If it is not hot enough then pakoras will soak the oil.With your fingers take some portion of onion pakora mix and drop in the hot oil like flat balls. Let pakoras simmer in the oil for about 1 minute, then with the pierced spatula turn the pakoras to other side and fry. Frequently keep turning the pakoras around for about 6 to 7 minutes or until they become golden brown, with the spatula take them out of the oil and place them in a plate over the paper towel so that extra oil absorb by the towel.Once you take all the pakoras out of the oil, turn the heat down to low, because oil is hot and when you drop other batch of pakoras in the oil they will fried quickly from outside and inside they will stay raw. Drop another batch of pakora in the oil, and then raise the heat up to medium. Repeat the process until all the pakoras are made.Serve the pakoras hot with coriander chutney or ketchup.