Onion pakoras are the snack of rainy afternoons and evening chai all across North India, where the sound of frying batter means comfort is on the way. Sliced onions are mixed into a spiced chickpea-flour batter and fried until shaggy, golden, and impossibly crisp. They are served piping hot with mint chutney, and they disappear as fast as you can fry them.
Shaggy, golden, and impossible to stop eating
The edges are lacy and crackly, thanks to a batter that is deliberately left a little lumpy, while the onion inside softens into sweet, tender strands. Ajwain seeds add a gentle, herbaceous warmth, and green chilies give each fritter a slow-building heat. Dunked into mint or tamarind chutney, they are the perfect companion to a hot cup of chai. Make extra; they disappear faster than anything else on the table, and a few leftovers are wonderful crumbled over rice the next day. The batter comes together in minutes, so there is no excuse not to fry a batch the next time it rains.
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