Onion Drop Fritters

Served hot with coriander chutney and ketchup

I have a great appetizer for parties planned for this cold weather...that is fritters. They are sure to warm up any guest; they're warm, crunchy, and delectable.  Did you know that fritters are popular in many cultures and known by different names: tempura, pakora, or poppers. The hardest part I think about fritters is to keep them from being too oily or heavy. I've tasted many kinds in restaurants, weddings, family parties and it's hard to find ones that are really good. The most common vegetable fritters are made with onions, sliced potatoes, cauliflower florets, or spinach.

My favorite type of the fritters is made with onions and I have laid out the ingredients and directions for you to try as well.

Ingredients:

- Maida (All Purpose flour)............................ 1 cup

- Corn starch................................................. 2 tbsp

- Onion......................................................... 1 ½ medium, chopped into large cubes

- Bread crumbs............................................. 3 tbsp

- Butter milk / Yogurt..................................... ½ cup (or more to mix the flour into a paste)

- Chili powder............................................... 1 tsp

- Salt............................................................. 1 tsp or to taste

- Soda bicarbonate........................................ 1 pinch

- Green coriander........................................... handful, chopped (optional)

- Vegetable oil................................................ For frying

Procedure:
1)  In a bowl mix together maida, corn starch, chili powder and salt. Add butter milk or yogurt and make a paste and allow it soak for 30 minutes.

2) Sprinkle a tbsp of maida on chopped onions and mix to coat them.

3) Add bread crumbs, soda bicarb, onions and coriander to the dough and mix well. The dough should be loose enough to form drops but not too watery (like a pancake batter). Adjust the consistency of the dough with water if needed.

4) Heat oil in a frying pan. The oil should be hot so that a small drop of dough into the oil rises to the surface immediately.

Drop batter (amounts the size of a large marbles) into the oil by hand or use a small ice cream scooper to imitate the same action. Fry the fritters until deep golden color by turning them over a couple of times in between.

Look at those garam garam fritters!