Name: Easy pickled onion rings
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 175ml distilled malt vinegar; 75g golden caster sugar; 2 large onions cut into 1cm-thick rings; oil for deep-frying; 100g plain flour; ½ tsp cayenne pepper; ½ tsp ground coriander; smoked paprika to serve; 100g cornflour; 100g plain flour; ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda; 300ml lager

175ml distilled malt vinegar
75g golden caster sugar
2 large onions
cut into 1cm-thick rings
oil
for deep-frying
100g plain flour
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp ground coriander
smoked paprika
to serve

For the batter

100g cornflour
100g plain flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
300ml lager

Method

step 1
Tip the vinegar, sugar, 50ml water and 1 tsp salt into a pan, bring to the boil, then remove from the heat. Add the onions to the pan, cover and leave to cool and pickle. Will keep for 24 hrs.
step 2
Pour the oil into a large pan until it's no more than a third full and heat to 180C. Mix the flour, cayenne pepper, ground coriander and 1 tsp salt together in a bowl and set aside.
step 3
To make the batter, combine the flours and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl, then slowly whisk in the lager. Drain the pickled onion rings and coat in the spiced flour mixture. Carefully dip them, one at a time, into the batter, then fry in the hot oil for 2-3 mins until golden and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and season with the paprika and some sea salt.