Even though we could not find who created National Onion Rings Day, we want to continue the tradition by sharing our own recipe with a Mexican twist: Onion Ring with Spicy Tomatillo Dipping Sauce. Our secret is to add Molli Mexico City Sauce. Just mix Mexico City sauce and sour cream. Yum.
- 1 quart peanut or canola frying oil
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups finely ground cornmeal
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon ground arbol pepper Substitute with cayenne pepper
- 1 egg
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 large Vidalia or other sweet onions , sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ cup Molli Mexico City cooking sauce
- Kosher salt
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Heat oil in a large heavy pot. It should be at least 3 inches deep, but more is better.
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In a shallow bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, cornstarch and ground arbol chile or cayenne.
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In a another bowl, beat egg and buttermilk.
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Separate onion slices into rings.
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Working in batches, toss the rings in the flour mixture, then dip into the buttermilk mixture. Allow most of the liquid to drip off, then toss again in the flour mixture. Shake off as much flour as possible and place the rings into the hot oil.
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Fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown, moving the rings around in the oil to keep them separated.
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Put the onion rings on a plate lined with paper towel and salt. Repeat.
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For dipping sauce, combine sour cream and Molli Mexico City sauce in a bowl and stir.
Tip: refrigerate your onions and buttermilk when you unpack from the grocery store. The colder the better for making onion rings. Make sure to let as much liquid and then as much flour fall off as possible. Less breading means less grease absorption and a crisper finished product. When the breading starts to get wet and gummy, replace it with fresh mix. Heat the oil to at least 360 degrees, and fry the rings in batches.