Sanna pakora- Sindhi onion bhaji is a foodie's dream. Every Sindhi household has this special dish some time or the other. Be it tea or even a mid-week meal. We are all guilty of having this pleasure of pakoda. We love this to the core. I am sure pakora recipe was developed for days when you don't know what to eat? Stuck on meal ideas? Pyaz ke pakode or onion fritters always rescue a bored homemaker.
Be it shallots, mixed veg, okra sweet capsicum or potatoes. You can even add some greens to it like finely chopped methi/fenugreek or palak/spinach. Just eat it with some bread or roti. You may have it with mint or tamarind chutney. Simple tomato sauce works too. These gram flour based tea time snacks have minimal spices. You can even remove the chilly, while making for kids.
We have had this in our travel too. After all, long journeys always need their snacks. Fritters + bread+ pickle= happy tummy on an idle train journey. If you are on a diet and still want to enjoy, do not lose heart. You can enjoy it on a cheat day with the baked version. Click here to see baked fritter recipe. Note: Add some to yogurt kadhi if you are not vegan. Have it with some rice. Best sleep ever. Great recipe for main course for an impromptu party or get-together too. Trust me you can never go wrong with this menu!!
How to make crispy onion bhaji or pakora ?
If you are guessing how does the street food pakoras come out so crispy, there are 2 reasons for it
1.They use lot of rice flour instead of chickpea flour (rice flour is cheaper than chickpea flour(besan).
2.They double fry these just before serving. Adding little rice flour to besan is a good balance between the both.
Also, onions tend to leave water when you add salt to them,so allow the onion to release its water with some salt first, adding too much coriander can make it watery. For the below recipe, you need to make bigger sized onion bhaji first, these can even be made few days in advance and stored in the fridge for a few days.
Trick is, double frying pakoras again after breaking them into pieces whenever you wish to serve . What you get is fresh and crispy deep fried Sindhi onion bhaji.
Equipment
- whisk
- wok/kadai
- blender for chutney
- For low oil version: Air fryer
Ingredients
- Onion
- Green chilli
- Besan/chickpea flour
- Rice flour for extra crispy pakoda
- Turmeric powder
- Red chilli powder
- Anardana dried pomegranate seeds, optional
- Baking soda
- Salt as per taste
- Water to make thick batter
- Oil for frying
How to make Sanna pakora? (traditional frying method)
- Chop onions.
2. Mix all spices with chickpea flour/besan. Add rice flour and baking soda along with anardana, onions, chilly.
3. Pour a little water into mix and make it of a thick consistency.
4. Add chopped coriander to it. Mix well.
5. Heat oil in kadai/wok. Fry until golden brown.
6. Break the huge pieces of pakora to small thin ones (sanna).
7. Deep fry them to make crispy pakoras just before you serve. These pyaz ke pakode are double fried for extra crispiness.
Generally, we make fritters when guests come over but for normal pakoras you will need to be in the kitchen until they are fried. With these pakoras, you can fry and keep them before they come. Just toss it in oil and take out hot once they arrive. Your dish is ready in 5 mins.
How to make onion pakora in air fryer ? (low oil)
It is possible to make onion pakoda in air fryer.Follow the below steps for the same.
- Slice the onions.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients.
3. Add water so that you can make a thick paste like mixture. If it is too watery, you will not get the texture right.
4. Line the muffin cups in an air fryer basket. Spray oil on each. Scoop a spoonful of mixture and add it to each muffin cup.
5. Air fry the pakoras on 160 deg C for 22-24 mins , spraying oil at an interval of 7 mins 3 times.
6. Cook until they are golden brown from all sides.
7. Serve hot with chutney
Variations
You may also add some coriander seeds to it.
FAQ
Oil is not hot enough.
Place them on a wire rack once done
Yes , you can freeze them in an air-tight container for a month.
Related links
Sanna pakora- Sindhi onion bhaji
Equipment
- whisk
- wok/kadai
- or air fryer for low oil version
Ingredients
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1-2 green chillies
- ½ cup besan/chickpea flour
- 1 tablespoon rice flour for extra crispy pakoda
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1 tablespoon anardana dried pomegranate seeds, optional
- Pinch of baking soda
- Salt as per taste
- Water to make thick batter
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- Make the thick batter by mixing water & flour.
- Add spices,salt,chopped onions,chilli & soda.
For traditional method
- Heat oil in a kadai/pan on medium flame.
- Now, use enough batter to fry a fritter/pakoda, this will be 3-4 times bigger than what you normally cook.
- Once cooked,take it out and keep it aside to cool down.
- Once all the pakoda/fritters are cooked and cooled down, cut them into smaller pieces.
- Fry them once again in hot oil on medium flame,Take them out once cooked.
- Serve warm with chutneyor tomato sauce.
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F | 74 °C
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation while cooking.
Baber Zeb Khan says
Very nice
Samantha says
Made for my dad for Father’s Day, everybody loved them!!
bhavana bhatia says
It was my father's favorite too 🙂 I am so happy to know that!
Warm Regards
Bhavana