Healthy Onion Pakoda In Air Fryer

            Pakoda is a kind of Fritter and is a very popular snack of India. They come in different forms and shapes and can be found all over the country. Each cook adds a special touch to his or her Pakoda making it to taste slightly different from the rest. The most important and necessary ingredient in a pakoda is Besan, that is Chickpea flour. Pakodas are always deep fried.
            Chickpea flour is a versatile ingredient found in every Indian household's pantry, therefore the go to snack is always Pakoda. It's easy to make too, probably in just half an hour from start to finish. When the craving hits for something hot, spicy and fried Pakoda is the first thing that comes to mind. Pakoda is almost always served with hot masala Chai.
             Pakodas are made from a batter of besan mixed with a vegetable or a combination of vegetables and water.Onion pakodas are the most common Pakodas one will find. You can add red chilli powder or green chilis to the besan batter. Some cooks like to add cumin seeds, carom seeds or minced ginger to the pakoda batter.
            Pakodas can be a simple fritter made with besan and onions or it can be elaborate with chicken, shrimp or boiled eggs.
            Here, we are going to make a simple yet delicious Onion Fritter but instead of deep frying I'm going to Airfry them. This can be whipped up in a jiffy.
            Air fried Pakodas do come out crispy but they get softer as they cool. If you rather deep fry them, just heat enough oil in a pan and when hot add spoonfuls of the besan batter in it. Do not overcrowd the pan. Cook on one side until browned, flip and brown the other side too. Fry on medium heat.
            Please don't skip the oil in the recipe. You need that to keep the air fried pakodas moist and crispy. Air frying anything tends to dry them out.

Mix all the ingredients with enough water to make a thick batter.

The batter should be thick.

Preheat Air fryer at 350 F for 5 minutes.

Place a tablespoon of the batter on the oil sprayed Air fryer basket.

Fry pakodas for 5 minutes.

Flip the pakodas and fry for three more minutes.

Ingredients:

Besan (Chickpea flour) 1.5 cups
Thinly Sliced onions 1 cup
Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
Red chili powder 1/4 tsp or to taste
Turmeric powder 1/8th tsp
Chaat masala, optional 1/8th tsp
Baking soda 1/8th tsp
Minced green chili 1 optional
Salt to taste
Water
Hot oil 2 tbsps

Air Fryer

Combine all the above ingredients with enough water to make a thick batter almost like a paste.
Preheat the Air fryer at 350 F for 5 minutes. Spray the bottom of the airfryer basket with oil spray. Place tablespoons of the batter on it. Do not overcrowd the basket. Fry for five minute. Turn the pakodas around and fry the other side for three minutes. Make sure the pakodas are cooked through. Air fryers are different so you need to experiment with the timing.

For a video version of this recipe visit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNKVKAjmBgE