Onion Bhaji with Gram Flour, also known as Kanda Bhanji or Onion Pakora, paired with masala chai is the ultimate monsoon snack for tea time. The spicier, gluten-free version of Bloomin’ Onion, Awesome Blossom, or onion rings, this super crispy comfort snack is the perfect appetizer for an Indian feast too
Onion Bhaji has rightfully earned its place in the list of Top Ten Indian Snacks ever. And considering the diversity in food and culture, that’s saying something!
You will find pakoras in most Indian restaurants in their ‘appetizer section’ or on roadside stalls served with a steaming glass of masala chai which has been slow-boiling for hours. In Mumbai, it is called Kanda Bhaji (Kanda = onion), and the most favored snack, especially in monsoons!
The secret to making super crispy onion bhaji is “crush and sweat”. This step makes all the difference between an audible crunch and a soggy bhaji.
WHAT DO I NEED TO MAKE ONION BHAJI?
The ingredients are as follow
- Gram Flour (Common name is Besan in an Indian grocery store)
- Rice Flour
- Onions (Preferable the sweeter, milder ones, like red onions)
- Ajwain Seeds (Carom Seeds) If you do not have these, you can substitute them with dried Oregano herb for a similar flavor.
- Turmeric Powder
- Red Chili Powder (Any mild variety like Kashmiri Chili or Sweet Paprika)
- Salt, to taste
- Red Chili powder (optional)
- Sauce of your choice for dipping
HOW DO I MAKE KANDA BHAJI? (STEP BY STEP ONION BHAJI WITH GRAM FLOUR)
Steps to make Onion Bhaji With Gram Flour
This onion pakora recipe uses dry batter. Following is a step-by-step instruction to make these.
- Chop onions into thin slices and separate them.
- Add salt, toss well, and let it sit for 15-20 minutes. This step is key to making the onions sweat.
- Dry Batter Mix: In a separate bowl, mix gram flour, rice powder (rice flour), salt, red chili powder, carom (ajwain) seeds, or dried oregano leaves. Mix well with a fork or whisk.
- Add this dry batter mix to the salted onion, one tablespoon at a time. Keep tossing gently to ensure that onions do not lump together.
- If required, add a tablespoon of water- just enough to bind the batter mix to the onions. Do not allow the mix to go lumpy.
- Keep separating the onions to prevent lumps or balls.
- Heat oil in a deep pan.
- When it is hot, add a bit of onion. If it fizzes and rises to the surface of the oil, the oil is hot enough.
- Start adding a forkful of onion and keep frying in batches.
- Drain and place on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
- Serve hot with a sauce of your choice – like ketchup, Sriracha, or date-Tamarind sauce.
More Recipes Like This :
Want to pair it with a sweet treat? Here’s a Fresh Strawberry Cobbler.
Love pakoras? Try another version with this delicious protein-packed paneer pakora, which is also gluten-free and easy to make.
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Onion Bhaji With Gram Flour
Equipment
- 1 Deep Pan For deep frying
Ingredients
Onion Mix
- 4 cups Onions Fine Sliced
- 1 tsp Salt
Dry Batter
- 1 cup Gram Flour Besan
- 4 tbsp Rice Flour Plain Flour
- 1 tsp Ajwain Seeds Or Dried Oregano Leaves
- 1 tsp Red Chili powder Optional
- 1 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- frying oil For frying
Instructions
- Slice onions into thin strips (horizontally) see picture.
- Add 1 tsp salt to sliced onions.
- Leave aside for 15 minutes, till onions sweat.
- In a bowl, add gram flour, rice flour, salt, ajwain seeds (or dried oregano leaves), red chili powder, and turmeric. Mix well.
- Now add gram flour mixture, one tablespoon at a time, to thesalted onions, till onions are well coated. Use a splash of water to help the flour mixture stick to the onions, but not so much to create a sticky batter. Do not press the mixture to form lumps or balls.
- Heat oil in a deep pan.
- Using a fork, add the onions in batches and fry till golden brown.
- Drain well, and place on kitchen towels to absorb the extra oil.
Notes
- The secret to getting a good crunch is letting the onions sweat for 15 minutes after adding salt.
- This batter uses the moisture from onions and does not need water.Â
- Check the oil is hot by two methods
Love these fritters! They’re better than take-out when I make them at home and gobble them fresh from the fryer. Yum!
These were better than take out! my family loved them!
These are delicious, with jus the right amount of spiciness!
This onion recipe is so easy to make and it is very delicious!! I am going to be making the recipe to add to many of my other recipes as a garnish.
I love these! Crispy and delicious!
I love these onion bhaji. So flavorful and addictive!
I’ve never had these until now and I loved them. So crispy and delicious. Loved the flavors.
Wow! This is our first time making these at home and they were a huge hit. I always have to order 3 batches when we do take-out as the kids love them so much…they have declared this version their fav 🙂
I’m so glad I found this recipe today/ We just loved it. Letting the onions sweat was a great idea as it made them super crunchy.
I could eat onion bahjis all day long and always order them in a restaurant – these were SENSATIONAL!
I love onion bahji and have never thought to try making it from home! I stumbled across this and I can’t wait to try it this weekend.
I had these at my favorite indian restaurant but I’d never tried making them at home! So good!!
These were out of this world! I had never eaten onion bhaji before, much less made them myself. I can’t believe how easy it was. We couldn’t stop eating them! So good! ( I did have to substitute oregano, but otherwise made them just like your recipe.)
This onion bahji recipe is absolutely fabulous. So delicious, thank you for sharing!
Love these! So terrific and not as hard to make as I thought they’d be!
This was my first time making something like this but the flavors blended together so well! Turned out amazing.
Your Blog is really so interesting and they way you mentioned each and everything is really so perfect.
Online bhaji
The blog was absolutely fantastic! Lot of great information which can be helpful in some or the other way. Keep updating the blog, looking forward for more contents.
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