Bloomin' onion with sriracha mayo

Who'd have thought the humble onion could be so tasty? (Well, frying does make almost everything taste delicious.) It's best to use the biggest onion you can find for this recipe, as it makes cutting the onion into petals a lot easier. But why stop at one onion?

INGREDIENTS

1 large onion

ice

oil, for frying

sea salt, to taste

cayenne pepper, to taste

EGG WASH

250ml milk

2 eggs

SEASONED FLOUR

300g plain flour

2 tablespoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

pinch freshly ground black pepper

SRIRACHA MAYO

75g mayonnaise

1 tablespoon sriracha chilli sauce

1 tablespoon lime juice, (optional)

pinch cayenne pepper

salt, to taste

METHOD

To make the egg wash, whisk the milk, eggs and 250 ml water together in a large bowl and set aside. To make the seasoned flour, mix all the ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Cut 1.5 cm off the top of the onion and peel, leaving the root intact. Place the onion cut side down and starting 1.5 cm from the root, cut the onion into 4 equal sections, taking each cut to the centre of the onion. Make another cut in each section to split into two equal halves. Repeat on each smaller section and make a cut. Now you should have 16 evenly spaced cuts with the root helping the onion to hold its shape. Place the onion in a bowl of iced water for 20 minutes to let it ‘bloom’. Drain and pat dry. Gently prise the onion petals to open up like a flower.

Put the onion in the seasoned flour, cut side up, gently prise open the onion petals and sprinkle flour all over, making sure the onion is fully coated, especially between the petals. Turn the onion over and shake off the excess flour.

Using a wire skimmer or a slotted metal spoon, lower the onion, cut side down, into the egg wash. Ensure it is fully coated. Lift out of the egg wash and let the excess drip back into the bowl.

Then place the onion back into the seasoned flour. Repeat the egg wash and flouring one more time, and finish with a final flouring process. Place the onion on a tray and transfer to the freezer while heating the oil.

Use a deep-fryer if you have one. If not, fill a large, deep saucepan with the oil to about one-third full. Bring the oil temperature up to 200ºC over a medium–high heat. Place the onion on a wire skimmer, cut side down, then slowly lower the onion into the hot oil and fry the onion for 3 minutes. In the meantime, let the oil temperature drop down to a constant 180ºC. Turn the onion over and fry for another 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the onion, shake off the excess oil and drain on paper towel, cut side down. Turn over and season well with sea salt and cayenne pepper. Remove the onion centre core with a cookie ring cutter.

Meanwhile, to make the Sriracha mayo, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and serve immediately.

#billman #onion #happies