Kanda bhajia- Mumbai style / Onion fritters

 

One of the most popular street food in Mumbai is "Kanda Bhajia" or in simple terms Onion fritters. The trick to making this delicious snack is to finely slice the onions. I found that red onions work very well.  I have used chickpea flour to bind the onions. I added a very small quantity of rice flour to enhance the crispness. If you don't have rice flour, you can use corn starch too.

So let's jump to the recipe...

Ingredients:

• Onion (peeled and thinly sliced): 2 cups  //I have used red onions
• Chickpea flour / Besan : 3/4 cup
• Rice flour : 2 tbsp
• Crushed coriander seeds : 1 tbsp // I have used a mortar and pestle to crush the seeds
• Asafoetida / Hing : 1/4 tsp // skip this if you want the recipe glutenfree
• Salt as per taste
• Turmeric powder /Haldi : 1/4 tsp
• Red chili powder : 1/4 tsp
• Oil : 2 tsp + more for deep frying

Method:

• Sprinkle salt on the thinly sliced onions and set it aside for 15 minutes. It will start releasing water.

• Once the onions have released the water, add the turmeric powder, red chili powder, asafoetida, chickpea flour, rice flour , 2 tsp oil and crushed coriander seeds. Mix well. If the mixture seems too dry, sprinkle a few drops of water. Check the salt.

• Heat oil. When hot, take small lumps of the mixture and add it to the oil. Cook well on both sides until it attains a golden color.

• Serve hot with chutney of choice or ketchup with hot ginger tea.

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