Crispy Beer-battered Onion Rings
Crispy Beer-battered Onion Rings

Crispy Beer-battered Onion Rings

  • Prep time:

  • Cook time:

  • Total time:

  • Portion/Yield:

    Serves 4–6 as a side or accompaniment to burgers or steak

  • Difficulty:

    Easy

Oh wow, these rings are so naughty yet so delicious! As soon as they come out of the fryer and the salt hits the crispy battered surface, the aroma drives me insane and my tummy starts to rumble! The smell is so incredibly good, but then I think all fried foods smell good, although onion rings especially so!

We make many portions of these ‘rings of gold’ on a weekly basis, as they are so popular. They’re served with our venison burger, or as a garnish with the rib-eye steak with peppercorn sauce, or simply as a side dish.

The quick and easy batter is made using ale that we have in the bar, but just use your favourite choice of ale to make these rings of joy a bit more special.

Our secret is to add a teaspoon of dark soy sauce to the batter. It gives the batter an ‘umami’ yumminess and also improves the colour. We also work on ratios, so that you can make as much or as little as you wish. The ratio is 1:1 self-raising flour and ale, plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce per 125g self-raising flour and 125ml ale.

The thickness of the onion rings is quite important too. You need to cut the onion into slices about 1cm thick and then separate the slices into rings. Then, once battered and deep-fried, the crispy onion rings should be salted and served as soon as possible.photo of Crispy Beer-battered Onion Ringsphoto of Crispy Beer-battered Onion Rings

Ingredients & Method

  • 125g self-raising flour
  • 125ml ale
  • 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
  • 1 large onion, peeled
  • sunflower oil, for deep-frying
  • sea salt, to taste

To make the batter, put the flour in a bowl, then whisk in the ale and soy sauce until smooth and combined. Leave to stand for 15 minutes. The batter should be a thick coating consistency (it will thicken slightly as it stands).

While the batter is resting, cut the onion into 1cm-thick slices, then separate each slice into rings (keeping the rings whole).

Heat some sunflower oil in an electric deep-fat fryer or in a deep frying pan to a temperature of 160°C (or until a small piece of bread browns within 20 seconds in the hot oil). Dip each onion ring in the batter until completely coated, then deep-fry (in batches) in the hot oil for 4–6 minutes, turning regularly, until cooked, crisp and golden – you will need to deep-fry the battered onion rings in several batches.

Remove the crispy onion rings using a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper, then keep warm while you cook the remainder (they need to be served soon after frying, as they will go soggy after about 15–20 minutes). Season with salt and serve.