FEATURE RECIPE
Onion rings with salt and vinegar

Onion rings with salt and vinegar

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

Serves 4

Cooking Time Prep time 15 mins, cook 25 mins (plus standing, cooling)



3   onions, cut into 1cm-thick rings
250 ml (1 cup)   buttermilk
For deep-frying:   vegetable oil
For dusting:   seasoned plain flour
Vinegar salt
60 ml (¼ cup)   white wine vinegar
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 (1 cup)   plain flour
125 ml (½ cup)   buttermilk
80 ml   beer


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.

This recipe is from the August 2010 issue of Australian Gourmet Traveller.

Drink Suggestion Cold lager.

RECIPE Emma Knowles & Lisa Featherby PHOTOGRAPHY Ben Dearnley STYLING Vanessa Austin, Emma Knowles & Lisa Featherby DRINK SUGGESTION Max Allen

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