Onion pakoda

Ingredients 

• 2 cups thinly sliced onions, layers seperated
• 1 ¼ cup besan 
• salt as needed
• ¼ to ½ tsp. ajwain / vaamu / carom seeds(adjust to suit your taste)
• 2 to 3 green chilies chopped or 1 tbsp. chilli powder (adjust to suit your taste)
• 1 sprig curry leaves chopped
• 8 to 10 mint leaves chopped
• Oil for deep frying

How to make the recipe

1. Slice the onions thinly and separate the layers. Measure 2 cups and add them to a mixing bowl. Chop chilies, curry leaves, mint leaves and ajwani add them to the mixing bowl of onions.
   
2. Sprinkle salt evenly. Nicely squeeze the onions with your palms few times without mushing them up. Leave it aside for 5 minutes. The onions release moisture, sprinkle flour, ajwain and more salt if needed.Mix everything well to coat the onions with the flour.
   
3. Add water 2 tbsps each time and mix the flour to make a moist mass of dough. The dough must be tight and not soggy like batter else they absorb lot of oil while frying.
   
4. Heat oil in a kadai or fry pan for deep frying the pakoda.When the oil is hot enough, take a small amount of dough and make small pakoda and drop them in the oil. Do not add too many pakodas in the pan, they should have some space to move around. While frying stir occasionally for even frying.
   
5. Fry them till golden and transfer them with a ladle to an absorbent tissue placed in a plate.Serve onion pakoda hot with a cup of tea or coffee.