Air Fryer Blooming Onion

Ingredients

1 large onion
1/2 cup plain flour
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon Oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg
2 tablespoons butter (melted)

Method

Prepare the onion

Peel the outer skin from the onion leaving the root end intact and cut a flat edge on the other side.
Place the onion root side up. Starting about 1/2 inch from the root, make a cut all the way through to the board. Make sure your knife cuts into the middle of the onion. All your cuts should meet in the middle. DO NOT CUT THROUGH THE ROOT OR TOO CLOSE TO THE ROOT.

Repeat to make 4 evenly spaced cuts around the onion and then again into 8 cuts.
Turn the onion over and set aside for 5 minutes to allow the petals to relax.
Prior to breading use your fingers to gently separate the outer edges to create the bloom.

Coat the onion

Mix the flour and spices in a large bowl. In a small deep bowl, whisk the egg, butter, and milk.
Put the onion in a large bowl, cut-side up and separated.
Sprinkle the flour mixture over the onion getting in between the layers.
Then dump the remaining flour over the whole onion and let it sit for a few minutes.
Turn the onion over and gently pat off the excess flour back into the bowl. Keep the mixture for second coat.
Transfer the onion into a large bowl and pour the egg mixture over and coat the onion with the egg mixture.
Let the onion sit in the egg mixture for a few minutes. Remove the onion from the bowl and let the excess drip off.
Put the onion back into the empty bowl and sprinkle the reserved flour mix over it for a second time.
Put the onion into the fridge to set while you preheat the air fryer.

Air fry the onion

Preheat the air fryer to 300F.
After ten minutes, remove the onion from the fridge and spray generously with cooking oil. Be sure to soak all the flour mixture with cooking oil that you can see.
Place on a piece of foil or lining paper for easy removal after cooking.
Air fry 20 minutes until crispy and golden brown. Open and spray at least once with more cooking oil during the cooking process.

This is an Air Fryer cooking method. It could be done in the traditional deep fry…… if you have a big enough pot and are feeling brave. I’m sure it would be fine in an ordinary oven too but would probably need the temperature and time adjusted.