Add besan and half cup water to a medium bowl. Mix well with a balloon whisk to form a smooth, loose, sticky batter. Add onion, coriander, turmeric, chilli powder, salt, sugar, ajwain and baking powder. Mix well with a wooden spoon. Add an extra tablespoon of water to loosen the batter just before frying.
Heat half a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Add a spoonful of the batter in a circular shape and flatten to a thin 1cm thickness. When bubbles start to form along the edges of the batter, flip gently with a metal spatula and cook the other side for a minute or two until golden, browning and cooked through the middle. Flip once more to cook the first side for a further few seconds until crisp. Repeat with the remaining batter. (I pan fry 3 pakoras at once in half a tablespoon of oil).
Remove on to a serving plate and serve hot with a green chutney or hot sauce.
Notes
Onion - 150g is the approximate weight of the onion slices (not the whole onion). You will need 2 small-medium red onions for this recipe.Cutting Onion – Peel and cut each onion in half. Slice the half into thin half-moon slices. Using your fingers separate the cut slices to get thin onion strands. These will add texture and get crispy when you pan fry.