Name: Onion rings with salt and vinegar
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 3 onions, cut into 1cm-thick rings; 250 ml buttermilk (1 cup); For deep-frying: vegetable oil; For dusting: seasoned plain flour; Vinegar salt; 60 ml white wine vinegar (¼ cup); 50 gm sea salt flakes; 1½ tsp white peppercorns, coarsely crushed in a mortar and pestle; Lemon-infused vinegar; 180 ml white wine vinegar; Thinly peeled rind of ½ lemon; Buttermilk batter; 150 gm plain flour (1 cup); 125 ml buttermilk (½ cup); 80 ml beer

Onion rings with salt and vinegar

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for onion rings with salt and vinegar.

Serves 4

Prep

15M

Cook

25M

Total

40M

Eat these crunchy golden beauties as hot as you can stand. Choose your condiment – lemon-infused vinegar or vinegar salt – and dip away.

Ingredients

3 onions, cut into 1cm-thick rings

250 ml buttermilk (1 cup)

For deep-frying: vegetable oil

For dusting: seasoned plain flour

Vinegar salt

60 ml white wine vinegar (¼ cup)

50 gm sea salt flakes

1½ tsp white peppercorns, coarsely crushed in a mortar and pestle

Lemon-infused vinegar

180 ml white wine vinegar

Thinly peeled rind of ½ lemon

Buttermilk batter

150 gm plain flour (1 cup)

125 ml buttermilk (½ cup)

80 ml beer

Method

Main

1.For vinegar salt, preheat oven to 180C. Combine vinegar and salt in a small bowl, spread on a baking tray lined with baking paper and cook until crisp and dried (8-10 minutes). Coarsely crumble into flakes, combine with pepper and set aside.

2.Meanwhile, for lemon-infused vinegar, combine vinegar and lemon rind in a small saucepan, bring to the simmer over medium-high heat, reduce heat to medium and simmer until reduced by half (8-10 minutes), then set aside to cool.

3.Separate onion into rings, place in a large bowl, add buttermilk, season to taste and mix to combine. Stand for 30 minutes.

4.Meanwhile, for buttermilk batter, place flour in a bowl, season to taste and make a well in centre. Add buttermilk and beer to well, then whisk until smooth and combined. Stand for 30 minutes.

5.Preheat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 180C. Drain onion (discard buttermilk), dust in seasoned flour, then dip in buttermilk batter, shaking off excess in between. Deep-fry in batches, turning occasionally, until crisp and golden (2-3 minutes; be careful as hot oil may spit). Drain on absorbent paper and serve hot with lemon-infused vinegar and vinegar salt.