Crispy Onion and Halloumi Pakodas

Delicious crispy onion and halloumi pakodas is a low-hassle and quick dish to make when you’re craving for a hot, crispy and salty nibble or snack. Made with sliced red onions, halloumi cheese, gram flour, herbs and spice these scrumptious cheese nuggets are ready in less than 25 minutes!

Crispy onion pakoras are one the most favourite and popular Indian snack that’s loved by all. Nothing can beat the combination of pakoda and piping hot cutting chai during monsoon season. It’s total bliss. Crispy Onion and halloumi pakodas is a surprising and decadent twist on this popular Indian inspired dish!

I love a bit of fusion cooking, this is one of my favourite fusion recipe. It’s a very simple recipe made using basic ingredients. The addition of halloumi is what really take this recipe to the next level. You can serve them with different dipping sauces like Coriander Chutney or sweet mango chutney. Fantastically crispy and crunchy, these onion and halloumi pakodas are full of flavours and textures.

What is Halloumi and Why?

In case you don’t already know, halloumi cheese is a hard white cheese originated in Cyprus, then gain popularity throughout the Middle East region. Many people associate halloumi with Greece. It’s traditionally made with sheep’s or goat’s milk, but it can be made from cow’s milk, too. Halloumi has a distinctive layered texture similar to mozzarella but milder and has a salty flavour due to it being brined in a salt water solution.

Halloumi had a high melting point, just like paneer so it doesn’t melt when it’s cooked, which makes it perfect for frying to a lovely crisp! Because it can retains its shapes it gives these pakoras a very beautiful texture and delicious salty flavour which elevates the Indian spices.

What’s the difference between Pakora, Bhajji and Bhajia?

Technically they all are the same. It can be a bhajia, bhajji, or pakora, depending on the which region in India it is made. In the west of indian, it is known as bhajia, in the south, its called pakodi, and in north India, its known as pakoras. Some do believe that it’s called bhajji when it’s a mixture of finely cut veggies (like onion bhajji) mixed and then fried while bhajia would be a single veggie fried. But the difference is minuscule.

Ingredients needed to make Crispy Onion and Halloumi Pakodas

• Red Onions – This is one of the main ingredient of this bhaji recipe. Use red onions to make these, as they are slightly pungent in taste which makes the pakoda very flavorful. But if you don’t have red onions you can substitute it with brown onions or white onions.
• Halloumi – The star ingredient of this recipe. This is a cheese that you can fry or grill until it’s brown. It will get warm and delicious, as cheese does, but hold its shape. Due to its salty flavour it elevates the whole dish.
• Gram Flour – Commonly know as besan in India. It is a staple in Indian and Subcontinental cooking. Nowadays it’s easily available in large grocery stores in UK. The flavour is nutty and it’s denser than normal flour with better nutritional qualities (lower carb, higher in protein and vegan)
• Kashmiri Chilli powder & Chilli Powder – This is pure ground chillies. Not to confuse with the ‘chili powder’ which is a spice mix. Kashmiri chilli powder is very mild and adds colour the dish. The regular chilli powder gives the kick.
• Chaat Masala – adds to the lickability
• Herbs – Coriander and mint leaves. Give the freshness.
• Minced Green Chillies – gives the spiciness to the dish.
• Oil – Fry the pakodas in vegetable, rice bran, or olive oil.

How To Make Crispy Onion and Halloumi Pakodas

1. Onions: To make the perfect pakodas, it’s very important to cut the onions in a certain way. Peel the onions and cut the top & bottom of the onions. Divide it into two equal halves by keeping the cut side down. Cut them length wise in thin slices, the slices should neither be too thin nor too thick. After cutting the slices, separate the layers of onions using your hands, similarly cut & separate the layers of all onions & transfer them into a bowl. Further add salt to taste & kashmiri red chilli powder, mix well & coat the onions with chilli powder & chaat masala.
2. Cut the halloumi into small cubes. Add to the bowl with spiced onions.
3. Add the chopped coriander, mint and green chillies to the onions and mix well.
4. Now, add the gram flour in small batches & mix well, then add a splash of water & gently knead the onions and halloumi with the gram flour until everything comes together, your mixture for pakoda is ready.
5. Heat oil until it gets moderately hot, the oil should not be extremely hot or else the bhajiyas will fry from outside & remain raw in the middle. To fry pakodas dip your hand in cold water & scoop out a small portion of the mixture & drop it into the hot oil without shaping it, drop all the pakodas in hot oil similarly.
6. Fry them over high flame without stirring them for the first 30 seconds then fry them over medium – low flame while stirring at regular intervals until they turn golden brown & crisp.
7. Once they turn golden brown, fry them over high flame for 30 seconds, doing this will prevent the pakodas from soaking the oil. Once fried, transfer them into a sieve so that all the excess oil drips off.

Helpful Tips and Tricks to Make Crispy Pakodas:

• Shaping the pakodas – Make sure that you don’t form the pakodas into a roundel otherwise you won’t achieve the perfect texture.
• The oil should not be extremely hot or else the pakodas will fry from outside & remain raw in the middle.
• The consistency of the batter is critical to making crispy pakora. Always just sprinkle enough water to bring the ingredients together. If the batter is thin, the pakoras will not turn out crispy.
• Do not overcrowd the pan while frying the pakodas. I fried this amount of batter in 3 batches. If you overloaded the pan, the oil temperature will decrease, and the pakoras will not turn out crispy.
• Always mix the gram flour to the onion mix just before frying. The onions keep leaving the water, and we don’t want a runny batter.

Equipments that I Used :

Kadhai for frying :

Chaat Masala:

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Crispy Onion and Halloumi Pakodas

Serves: Makes 25 Pakodas Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 15 Minutes 15 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 4 voted )

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Ingredients

• 3-4 medium sized onion
• 200 grams halloumi cheese, cut into small cubed 
• 1 cup gram flour (besan)
• 1 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder
• ½ tsp chilli powder
• ½- 1tsp chaat masala
• ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves
• 1 tbsp chopped mint leaves
• 2-3 green chillies minces or finely chopped
• Salt to taste
• Water as required
• Oil to fry

method

1. Cut the top & bottom of the onions & divide it into two equal halves by keeping the cut side down.  Peel the onions & cut them length wise in thin slices, the slices should neither be too thin nor too thick. After cutting the slices, separate the layers of onions using your hands, similarly cut & separate the layers of all onions & transfer them into a bowl.
2. Add salt to taste & Kashmiri red chilli powder, mix well. Add the chilli powder & chaat masala and coat the onions well with the spices.
3. Now add the cubed halloumi and give it a mix. 
4. Add the chopped coriander, mint leaves and minced chillies. 
5. Then add the gram flour in small batches & mix well, then add a splash of water & gently knead the onions with the gram flour until everything comes together, your mixture for pakoda is ready.
6. Heat oil until it gets moderately hot, the oil should not be extremely hot or else the pakodas will fry from outside & remain raw in the middle.
7. To fry pakodas -  dip your hand in cold water & scoop out a small portion of the mixture & drop it into the hot oil without shaping it, drop all the pakodas in hot oil similarly.  Fry them over high flame without stirring them for the first 30 seconds the fry them over medium – low flame while stirring at regular intervals until they turn golden brown & crisp.
8. Once they turn golden brown, fry them over high flame for 30 seconds, doing this will prevent the pakodas from soaking the oil. Once fried, transfer them into a sieve or lined tray so that all the excess oil drips off. Your perfectly fried crispy onion and halloumi pakodas are ready.

Did You Make This Recipe?

If you did, take a picture and tag me on Instagram at @poetryofspices!