I don’t know about you, but I am a huge onion ring lover from way back. I love my potatoes any old way, but there is just something extra special about a thick cut, perfectly breaded, crispy onion ring that puts me into happy land every time. I don’t eat them often, which is one of the reasons why they are so special to me, but every now and then, I just get that urge to stuff myself silly with those little cellulose gems…
I am usually not impressed with the onion rings served in many restaurants. I can usually tell a handmade onion ring from a previously frozen one pretty easily… especially since the pre-made ones tend to go limp soon after they are served. Over the years, I have made them with a variety of different coatings but this one is by far the best. Some people use an egg wash with milk or buttermilk, but I found that the more ‘fat’ you add to the breading mixture, the softer the breading will become afterwards. The addition of these ingredients just add extra cost to your recipe and make final product soggy. Having made these quite a few times in the past, I have learned a few tricks that will have your family and guests begging for more. I hope you have an opportunity to try them and let me know what you think.
***An original recipe from www.goodfoodgourmet.com
Crispy Onion Ring
1/2 cup flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons rice flour (or instant potato flakes)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 egg white
1 cup club soda (or add 1 cup water and 1 teaspoon baking powder)
2 cups panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
3 medium yellow onions, sliced into rings
Canola oil for frying
Peel and slice your onions into 1/4 inch thick rings, and set them aside. Place the flour into a small bowl and toss the onion rings into the flour, then set aside. Into the remaining flour, add the cornstarch, rice flour, salt pepper, club soda and egg white and mix it well until you have a batter which should be the consistency of a thin pancake batter, but should NOT watery. In a separate bowl, place the bread crumbs and dried parsley flakes. Toss the onions in the batter and coat them well, then add them to the bread crumbs and coat evenly. As you bring them out of the bread crumbs, lay them on a sheet pan side by side. At this point, you can refrigerate them uncovered, if you are preparing them for an event the next day, or fry them right away. Heat the oil to 350°, and add the onion rings in one layer and fry until golden brown, then repeat with the rest. Remove onto a rack or a paper lined tray to remove excess oil, add salt and enjoy.
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