April 17, 2009

Vengaya Pakoda - Onion in Besan Fritters


Vengaya pakoda is a very popular snack in Tamil Nadu. Its hard to find any bakery or tea stall with out selling these. These crispy pakodas is the most sought after accompaniment with a cup of hot tea/coffee. In Kerala, you will find the bajji version more popular. Pakodas are crunchy where as bajjis are crisp and soft. Though both are besan based, the batter consistency makes the difference. At my home, Amma used to make this on most of the Sundays. Post marriage, my husband's family love to have these pakodas/bajji as side for dinner. With the onset of monsoon, these will be made often in my home. This is a favorite with my hubby. There isn't any recipe for this. I usually follow eye ball measurement. without any exact measurement followed, each time it is made, it has a unique taste.


1 medium sized onion, chopped

handful of besan flour - 2 measures

handful of rice flour - 1 measure

salt to taste

a big pinch of chilli powder

few shakes of hing

chopped coriander & curry leaves (optional)

Water to prepare the batter

Oil to deep fry


Method

Mix all the ingredients well. Add water little by little to get a thick batter. The batter should not be very stiff also. Adjust the salt and chilli powder to your taste.




Heat oil in a kadai. When hot, take some batter in your hand, crumble it into small pieces, directly into the oil. Be careful as you do this over the oil. Take care that your fingers do not go near oil. The idea is to get small pieces so that it will fry crisp else it will turn soft. This is a very forgiving recipe. Little more or less of any of the ingredients will not affect the taste but the crunchiness will vary. Too much of water or besan will give soft pakoras.

Drain on absorbent papers and when cool, you can store in airtight containers.

I am sending this to RFRU:Starters hosted by Sunshinemom, an event started by Ramki.






16 comments:

  1. tempting..would love to have t with a hot cup of tea..

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  2. My fav pakodas.Easy and yummy snack!

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  3. my favourite too...Recently even i hv posted these yummy pakodas in my blog..

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  4. i haven't come across ppl who doesn't like onion pakodas :) wonderful post!

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  5. Wow looks crisp and yum.. This is one of my favourite snack...

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  6. It's just the right thing to perk up a rainy day.

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  7. Yummy! I made it last weekend, love it any time with coffee! :)

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  8. Yes Onion Pakora are famous in TN... Crispy lil guys perfect for spring evenings...

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  9. yummy pakodas! Everyone's fav. Just last weekend my hubby made these for me :)

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  10. You are tempting me to make some for the evening! Delicious.

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  11. I adore onion pakodas. Perfect snack with tea!!

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  12. Pakodas are looking crispy and yummy..

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  13. Lovley pakoras, my hubby's favourite.

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  14. it is cold and rainy here....would love some!

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