Tandoori Onion Rings

Fun fact about me, I don’t like onions at all. Yes I know, how can a brown girl not like onion when its in almost all the cooking but in my defense my dad also doesn’t eat onions. I can handle them in certain foods or in a curry, just not whole; my husband on the other hand LOVES onions.

Whenever we order kabobs, my husband would love take the onions off my plate as well, then tell me how delicious they were with the tandoori masala transferred from the kabobs and this is exactly what gave me the idea to make this recipe. I taste tested these while creating my recipe and though I’m not an onion lover, I found the combination to be a hit! The crispy, salty, and slightly spicy batter pairs well with the natural sweetness of the onions and creaminess of the herb aioli.

PREP TIME: 10 minutes l COOK TIME: 20 minutes l TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes 

Ingredients

Onion rings

• ½ cup potato starch

  • you can replace this with corn starch but I find potato starch gets crispier

• ½ cup all purpose flour

• 1 cup water

• 1 tablespoon tandoori masala

  • I typically use Kisna tandoori masala for this recipe

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon sea salt

• 1 teaspoon chili powder (optional if you like a little spiciness)

• 2 medium white onions, cut into ¼ inch slices

• 1 quart vegetable or canola oil

Herb Aioli

• 1 cup mayonnaise

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 garlic clove freshly grated or chopped fine

• ½ teaspoon thyme, roughly chopped

• ½ teaspoon basil, roughly chopped

Directions

Serving size: 4 side servings

1. In a small bowl, mix together the mayo, lemon juice, salt, garlic, herbs and set aside to serve with the onion rings.

2. Begin to heat the oil in a deep skillet to 350 degrees.

3. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the flour, potato starch, tandoori masala, cumin, chili powder. Be sure to break up any lumps with a whisk before the next step or sift the dry ingredients.

4. Add in half a cup of water and start to bring the batter together.

5. Slowly add more water to the batter until it is thoroughly mixed and a pancake batter like consistency.

6. Dip a quarter of the onions into the batter and coat them thoroughly.

7. Using a fork or tongs, carefully drop the onion rings into the hot oil. Try to avoid placing them too close together.

8. Cook each batch of onion rings for 5-7 minutes, turning them half way through.

9. Remove to a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with sea salt.

Serve hot with a side of my lemon herb aioli!