Baked Onion Pakoras

📝 Ingredients

• 3 onions (about 450 g)
• 1 tsp fine salt + 1 pinch (for the sauce)
• 120 g gram flour (chickpea flour)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 80 ml cold water
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil (1 for the tray, 1 for the top)
• 250 g plain whole-milk yoghurt (2 pots)
• 10 g fresh mint

🍴 Utensils

• Mixing bowl
• Baking tray
• Baking paper
• Pastry brush
• Spatula
• Bowl

📖 Steps

1. Peel the onions, halve them and thinly slice into 2 to 3 mm half-moons. Put them in a mixing bowl with 1 tsp salt, mix with your hands, separating the slices, and leave for 10 min: they will release their water and soften.
2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220 °C, fan if possible. Line a large baking tray with baking paper and brush it with 1 tbsp oil.
3. Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric, baking powder and gram flour to the onions. Mix by hand, squeezing the onions so the flour is moistened by their juices.
4. Pour in the water a little at a time, mixing, just enough to make a thick, sticky batter that coats every slice without running. There should be no dry flour or liquid left at the bottom of the bowl.
5. Form 16 small mounds of about 1 heaped tbsp each on the tray, 3 cm apart, and flatten them slightly with the back of the spoon, leaving a few slices sticking out, which will turn crispy. Brush the tops with the remaining oil.
6. Bake for 15 min, carefully turn the pakoras over with a spatula, then continue for 8 to 10 min, until golden and crisp at the edges.
7. While they bake, finely chop the mint and mix it in a bowl with the yoghurt and 1 pinch of salt. Keep the sauce in the fridge until serving.
8. Leave the pakoras to rest on the tray for 2 min to firm up, then serve hot with the yoghurt and mint sauce for dipping.