I’m admittedly infatuated with onion rings, and while I’ll never tire of the crunchy deliciousness of deep fried versions, I think my baked, coconut-chickpea version is even better. Chickpea flour gives oven baked vegetables a crispy-crunchy finish, so you won’t miss the deep-frying one bit. And even though people don’t often associate coconut with onion rings, this recipe will convince them that they are an ideal match.
Ingredients
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 1½ cups (180 grams) chickpea flour
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 0.12 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup dairy or nondairy milk
- 1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut, finely chopped
- 2 large sweet onions
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Grease 2 large baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a shallow dish, combine ¾ cup of the flour, ½ teaspoon of the salt, and the pepper. In a second shallow dish, whisk together the egg and milk until well blended. In a third shallow dish, mix together the coconut and the remaining ¾ cup flour and ½ teaspoon salt.
- Peel the onions, trimming of the ends; cut them crosswise into ¼ inch thick slices. Break the onion slices into individual rings.
- Dredge each ring in the flour mixture, then dip in the egg mixture and gently shake off the excess. Press the ring into the coconut mixture, coating all sides; transfer to the prepared sheet. Repeat with the remaining rings. Spray the rings with cooking spray.
- Bake for 10 minutes; using a spatula, flip the rings. Switch the baking sheets’ positions from the upper and lower racks and bake for 8 to 12 minutes longer, until golden brown and crispy. Serve immediately.
