Wherein we conquer the FryDaddy!

It feels good. Tonight, we made onion rings, mess-free. The onion rings went in, the onion rings came out, crispy, browned, just a little bit spicy, and delicious. The oil stayed where it was supposed to, and we ate a delicious, well-balanced meal of onion rings, dipping sauce, and a nice field green salad with an Asian vinaigrette. We found a recipe for Bloomin' Onion-style batter and dip. We didn't cut it Bloomin' Onion-style. Just good, old-fashioned onion rings. Exactly like the only rings I would eat as a kid, the half-order from Luther's BBQ.  It was truly delicious. The onions were thin, lightly battered, crispy, tastiness, and the dip was delectable. The salad was pretty darn good too, albeit a bit conventional.

Melt-in-your-mouth onion rings

adapted from the recipe you can find by Google searching 'blooming onion recipe'

1 egg
1 cup milk

1 cup flour

1 1/ 2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 large sweet onion

3/4 cup vegetable oil for frying

In a medium bowl, beat egg and add milk.

In a separate bowl, combine flour and spices.

Thinly slice onion with a knife or mandoline (on the thick setting). 

Dip the onion rings into the milk mixture and then coat with the flour mixture.

Heat oil in a deep fryer or deep pot to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Fry 5-6 slices at a time for 3-4 minutes or until they brown. Remove it from the oil and drain on a rack lined with paper towels.

Dipping sauce

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 Tbsp ketchup

1/2 tsp adobo (from chipotles in adobo) (optional)

1/3 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp salt

1 pinch ground black pepper

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1-2 Tbsp sriracha (to taste)

Mix all ingredients. Transfer to small bowl, center on plate, and surround with delectable onion rings.

Asian-ish vinaigrette

Kinda thrown together - no idea what proportions I used

1/3 cup soy sauce

1 Tbsp grated ginger

1 clove garlic, minced

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 Tbsp mirin

1 tsp agave nectar

1/3 cup toasted sesame oil

Blend all ingredients but oil. Before serving, whisk in the oil. Adjust flavors to taste.

The cute little Herb & Serve mini-blender that came with our AeroGarden is ideal for whipping up little vinaigrettes. Manually mixing/whisking or using a mini-food processor would also be fine.

Serve over greens, tomatoes, whatever else - we used blue cheese, toasted almonds, and currants, which was very, very non-Asian but still worked.

I don't think a lot of people will be inspired to create their own salad and onion ring feasts, but trying one or the other of these options is highly recommended! I've been so awful about posting about the delights we've been experiencing that, on this rare prolific evening, I am just posting away. [update: prolific, my foot. i just found this draft post today, a month later, and added pics - since the onion ring experience, we have used the frydaddy successfully at least 2 more times, one of which i'm overdue to post about for Daring Kitchen!]

love, the leavens.