Onion Pakoras (Fritters)

Ingredients

• 1
  
  large yellow onion
  
• 4 -5
  
  tablespoons chickpea flour/Besan
  
• 1
  
  teaspoon red chile powder, optional
  
• 
  
  pinch of salt
  
• 
  
  oil to deep fry (a couple inches to cover the bottom of the pan)
  

Directions

1. Cut the onions thinly into half moons. The slices should not be more than an 1/8th of an inch. Place them in a bowl.
2. Stir the flour, chile powder, and salt together in a separate bowl, and then sprinkle it on the sliced onions. Add it just to coat — if 4 tbsps seems sufficient, you can stop there.
3. Combine well by giving a gentle squeeze to the onions. If needed, wet your palm with water and mix the onion mixture with your wet palm, but do not add additional water. The mixture should come together as lumpy but it shouldn’t be runny.
4. Heat the oil to about 350 in a wok. Drop a small piece of batter into the oil to test; if it browns and floats, the oil is ready.
5. Eyeball heaping tablespoons of the mixture, add small mounds of it to your hot oil, and fry till golden brown.
6. Using a slotted spoon, remove them carefully and place on a paper towel to drain any excess oil. Serve immediately, and with chutney or ketchup.