Onion Salad Recipe (Laccha Pyaaz)
By Swasthi on February 22, 2023, Comments, Jump to Recipe
Onion Salad also known as Laccha Pyaaz or Masala Pyaz is a quick Indian salad made with fresh cut raw onion rings, ground spices, lemon and fresh herbs. This onion salad is a staple in the North Indian restaurants and highway Dhabas. It is always served with tandoori foods, appetizers, snacks and sometimes even with Biryani. Onion salad also goes well alongside roti, kulcha or Naan served with curry & Dal. It also goes well with pulao or any Indian Rice Dishes.
At home we also use them in our Kathi rolls, wraps, sandwiches and burgers too. Whenever you want to perk up the flavor and spice in your meal you can make this instantly. These crunchy salad onion rings are tangy, spicy and flavorsome, you can’t stop eating a few.
About Onion Salad
Onion Salad is simply made by tossing thin sliced raw onion rings in lemon juice, spices and herbs. To remove the pungent flavor of the onions, they are usually soaked in cold water for a short time. This step removes the spicy and pungent taste as well, making them more palatable.
The onions grown in India are mostly pungent and they are loved as is by a lot of people. So a lot of people just avoid the soaking step but soaking also keeps the onions fresher & crisp for a little longer.
Though red onions, sweet onions and white onions all go well here, the smarter choice is to use what you like. Avoid yellow onions.
This onion salad is best made and served immediately as the onions begin to turn soft as they rest longer. Though they keep good for an hour, the flavors are best when they are made.
Serve this onion salad on the side of Grilled Indian appetizers like Paneer Tikka, Tandoori chicken, Chicken tikka, Kababs, Biryani or Pulao.
How to Make Onion Salad (Stepwise Photos)
1.Rinse onions under running water and peel them. Rinse well and remove any outer layers that are bruised or dried out. Rinse lemon, green chili and coriander leaves.
2. Slice the onions to thin rings. You can also simply slice them. Deseed and fine chop green chilies and coriander leaves.
3. Separate the layers, discard if any thin membrane comes out. Add them to a bowl of very cold water. Leave for 10 mins. Drain the water from bowl.
4. Shake off the onion rings and add them to another serving bowl.
5. To spice up the onion salad, you will use red chilli powder, black pepper, chaat masala and salt. If you don’t have chaat masala, you may use a small amount of cumin powder and amchur powder (dried mango powder). But the flavors won’t be the same. You can start with smaller quantities and adjust towards the end.
6. Squeeze lemon juice and toss the onions.
7. Mix the ground spices and salt in a small plate. Sprinkle all over evenly. Also add chopped chilies and coriander leaves.
8. Toss and taste test. Add salt or spices or lemon juice if you want more.
Serve the onion salad immediately. It is best eaten under 1 hour.
Related Recipes
Recipe Card
Onion Salad Recipe (Laccha Pyaaz)
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 2 medium onions (or 3 small)
- 1 green chilli optional
- 2 sprigs coriander leaves (or 8 to 10 mint leaves)
- 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons lemon juice)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon chaat masala
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon black pepper (crushed, optional)
Instructions
How to make Onion Salad
- Rinse onions well under running water and peel them. Slice the whole onion to thin round slices. (see pictures in the post)
- Slit the green chili and deseed. Chop finely. Also chop the coriander leaves.
- Separate the layers to get onion rings. Add them to a bowl of very cold water and rest for 10 mins. Later drain the water and shake off the onion rings gently to get rid of excess moisture.
- Add them to a serving bowl. Squeeze lemon juice and add all the spices – chaat masala, red chilli powder, black pepper and salt.
- Also add the deseeded and chopped green chilies and coriander leaves. Toss everything well.
- Taste test and add more spice, salt or lemon juice if required.
- Serve onion salad with grilled snacks, tandoori appetizers, biryani or with pulao.
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
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About Swasthi
I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me
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Comments
Hi
As I am a vegetarian, I would love to receive more veggie options.
Thanks
I love to try your recipes and every time i get the best results. The way you explai the preparation step by step with very minute tips makes me very confident while making g even for the first time. All the good luck. Thanks?
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