- 1 cup moderately packed cilantro leaves
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon minced jalapeño
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt or flaky or coarse sea salt
- 3/4 cup chickpea flour
- 2 tablespoons finely minced cilantro
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt or flaky or coarse sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup cold water
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 1 medium yellow onion, quartered and very thinly sliced
- To make the sauce, combine the cilantro, vinegar, olive oil, jalapeño, coriander, and salt in a mini food processor or blender and process until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Transfer to a small serving bowl and set aside. (The sauce can be made up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated, covered.)
- Use a whisk to stir together the chickpea flour, cilantro, cumin, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Whisk in the water to form a smooth batter. Set aside for 10 minutes.
- While the batter is sitting, pour about 2 inches of oil into a large heavy saucepan (the oil should not come more than halfway up the sides of the pan). Bring to 365°F over medium heat.
- Use a wooden spoon to stir the batter, then add the onion, stirring well to evenly blend.
- Scoop up a heaping tablespoon of the onion mixture and gently add it to the hot oil. Repeat to form 4 or 5 more pakoras and fry until nicely browned and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes, gently turning the pakoras once or twice for even cooking. If they brown too quickly, the inside risks not being cooked through; reduce the oil temperature a bit if needed. Lift out the pakoras with a slotted spoon and set aside on paper towels to drain while frying the remaining batter.
- Arrange the pakoras on a plate or platter with the sauce alongside for dipping.