Laccha pyaaz is a classic Indian onion salad recipe made with sliced onion rings, lemon juice, fresh herbs, and Indian spices. It is a perfect accompaniment to your Indian meals or Tandoori appetizers. Vegan, gluten-free, and oil-free.
In India, raw onion is often consumed as a salad for everyday meals, with lemon wedge and pickle on the side. Eating raw onion during the summer is encouraged as it keeps your body cool. It has several health benefits.
Today, I am sharing an easy onion salad (also known as Lachha Pyaaz), which is mostly popular in North Indian households, similar to the refreshing kachumber salad. It is also served at restaurants, dhabas, and street food stands with meals, appetizers, or snacks.
This onion salad adds a tangy zing to any meal and can be prepared at home in under 20 minutes with just a handful of ingredients.
More Indian Salad Recipes, you may like
What is Laccha Pyaaz?
Laccha Pyaaz is basically crunchy onion rings tossed with green chilies, fresh herbs, lemon juice, and spices. Also known as 'masala pyaaz', 'onion laccha salad,' 'pyaaz salad.'
In Hindi, 'Laccha' means 'Ring', and 'Pyaaz' means 'Onion'. Hence the name onion ring salad.
It is popularly served as an accompaniment in most Indian restaurants with other condiments such as pickles, papads, and chutneys.
Ingredients
- Onions: Red onions have a crisp texture and are subtly sweet enough to eat raw, so they are a great choice for salads. You can also make this salad with yellow, white, or sweet onions.
- Green Chillies: Use finely chopped green chilies for an extra kick. You can skip it if you don't want the salad to be spicy.
- Spices: This recipe uses basic ground spices like Kashmiri red chili powder, chaat masala, black pepper powder, and salt. Chaat masala is the star ingredient of this salad, so don't skip it.
- Coriander Leaves: Freshly chopped cilantro enhances the flavor of the dish. You can also add some finely chopped mint leaves.
- Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed lemon (lime) juice adds tanginess to the salad.
How to Make Indian Onion Salad
How to Cut Onion Rings
Trim away the top and bottom edges of 2 medium red onions. Peel the outer skin of the onion and discard it.
Cut the onions into thin, circular slices. Separate the rings with your hands.
Soak Rings in Water
Soak the onion rings in ice-cold water for 10 minutes. This step helps to make the onions crunchy and reduces the pungent taste of raw onions. Then, drain all the water from the bowl.
To Make Lachha Onion Salad
Transfer the strained onion rings to a serving bowl.
Add ½-¾ teaspoon chaat masala, ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder, salt, 1 green chili (chopped), 2 tablespoons coriander leaves, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice (or vinegar).
Gently mix well with your hands until the rings are well coated with spices.
Restaurant-style onion salad is ready. Serve immediately.
What To Serve With Indian Onion Salad?
This lachha pyaaz pairs perfectly with any North Indian meal (like curries paneer butter masala, dal makhani, rajma masala, chana masala) and even with Veg biryani or vegetable pulao.
It also goes well with try it with tandoori/grilled dishes (like paneer tikka, tandoori aloo, beetroot cutlet, or kebabs), pav bhaji, parathas.
You can also use Laccha Pyaz in wraps, kathi rolls, sandwiches, or burgers to enhance the taste.
Storage Suggestions
Laccha onions taste best when made fresh, as they will release water after a while and lose their crunch. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for about 1 day in an air-tight container.
Expert Tips
- Serve right away: Laccha Pyaz should be served immediately after the preparation. Otherwise, they will release the water and lose its crunch. If you are making it ahead, keep the onion rings ready and toss in the spices just before serving.
- Slicing the onions: Remember to cut the onions into ½ cm thick rings. Don't cut, too thin or too thick onion rings.
- Soak onion rings in water: Raw onions have a sharp and pungent taste with a strong smell. So soaking them in water will make them crunchy and reduce the pungent taste of raw onions. However, if you prefer the strong onion taste, skip this step.
Variations
- Tomato onion laccha salad: Slice (or chop) tomatoes and add them to this onion laccha salad.
- Mix veg laccha salad - add sliced tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, and bell peppers to this chatpata onion salad. All other steps will remain the same. Adjust the spices.
- Achari laccha pyaz - Add readymade or homemade achar masala (pickle masala) to the onion rings and mix. It tastes delicious.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you don't like the strong, pungent smell and taste of raw onion. Soak the onions for 15 minutes in cold water, it helps to reduce the pungent taste of raw onions.
You can use white vinegar in place of lemon juice for the acidity.
Red onions work well for salads. However, you can also use yellow or white onions.
If you like onions, then check out more Onion Recipes
Indian Onion Salad (Laccha Pyaaz)
Ingredients
- 2 medium red onions
- chilled ice water (for soaking)
- 1 green chili deseeded and chopped
- 2 tablespoons coriander leaves finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder
- ½-3/4 teaspoon chaat masala
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (or vinegar)
Instructions
How to Cut Onion Rings
- Trim away the top and bottom edges of the red onion. Peel the outer skin of the onion, and discard it.
- Cut the onions into thin circular slices. Separate the rings with your hands.
Soak in Water
- Soak the onion rings in ice-cold water for 10 minutes. This step helps to make the onions crunchy and reduce the pungent taste of raw onions. Then drain all the water from the bowl.
To Make Laccha Onion Salad
- Transfer the strained onion rings to a serving bowl.
- Add chaat masala, Kashmiri red chili powder, black pepper powder, salt, green chilies, coriander leaves, and squeeze lemon juice.
- Gently mix well with your hands until the rings are separated and coated well with spices.
- Restaurant-style onion salad is ready. Serve Immediately.
Notes
Tips
- Serve right away: Laccha Pyaz should be served immediately after the preparation otherwise, they will release the water and lose its crunch. If you are making it ahead, keep the onion rings ready and toss in the spices just before serving.
- Slicing the onions: Remember to cut the onions into ½ cm thick rings. Don't cut, too thin or too thick onion rings.
- Soak onion rings in water: Raw onions have a sharp and pungent taste with a strong smell. So soaking in the water will make onions more crunchy and reduce the pungent taste of raw onions. However, if you prefer the strong onion taste, skip this step.
Variations
- Tomato onion laccha salad - add sliced (or chopped) tomatoes to this onion laccha salad. All other steps will be the same.
- Mix veg laccha salad - add sliced tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, and bell peppers to this onion salad. All other steps will remain the same. Adjust the spices.
- Achari laccha pyaz - Add readymade or homemade achar masala (pickle masala) to the onion rings and mix. It tastes so delicious.
Nutrition
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