Wednesday 22 June 2011

How to make delicious onion bhajis

I've seen many recipes for onion bhajis in my time, and I have eaten many takes on the iconic Indian fried dish. Some were just plain wonderful, others just plain or just plain awful! I've had efforts which were oil-soaked, cardiac-arrest inducing fat fests, or soggy, overly battered damp-squibs. All decent bhaji recipes should use gram flour – the creamy yellow flour gained from milling chick peas. Anything else will smack of a lack of authenticity! I've even seen recipes involving eggy batter – unthinkable in Indian cooking; eggs are much too valuable a commodity to be used for batter alone when simple judicious batter recipes will bind themselves to their intended target.

After much reading, experimenting and some obligatory mess-ups, I think I have gotten there. This is my recipe. Any suggestions for improvement will be welcomed.

You could deep fry these bhajis, but it will make a fattier, less healthy result and you will only be able to re-use the oil for a similarly spicy or oniony dish. I think it's outrageous to use lots of oil only once to throw it all away. I saw a recipe for these bhajis once which used over a litre of oil – what a terrible waste! In these days of rising food prices and the fact so many are starving, wasting food of any descriptions seems to me to be crime. So shallow fry and be content that you are making them in an authentic way with minimum waste and maximum taste. Serve with your favourite Indian food as you wish, but my recommendation is with dahl and rice (basmati, of course!).

Ingredients:

1 large red onion (will give a sweeter result than white onions)
1 tsp of finely grated/mashed ginger
1 green chili (optional)
½ tsp whole coriander seeds
½ tsp whole black mustard seeds
½ tsp whole ajwan/nigella seeds
½ tsp salt
35g or thereabouts gram flour (chick pea flour/besan)
2-3 tbsp groundnut oil

  1. Top, tail and peel the onion, cut in half vertically, then cut into fairly fine half moon slices (about 4 mm thick).
  2. Toast the seeds in a dry pan until you can smell their spiciness (only about 3 mins). Do not allow to burn. 

    Transfer to mortar and pestle and crush into a spice mix.

  3. Mix chopped onion with the salt, spice mix and ginger into a bowl (not a metal one, please). Leave for at least 5 mins. Stir a couple of times to allow the onion to marinate.

  4. Add the chick pea flour slowly, mixing as you go. I have given a rough amount, but what you are looking for is only enough of the flour to bring the mixture together.

  5. Heat the groundnut oil in a pan until hot. The oil must be hot to prevent the bhajis from becoming too greasy. Don't go to all this effort to make oily, greasy bhajis!
  6. Form the bhajis into round patties, fry until brown. Serve immediately.


4 comments:

  1. Wow, these look fantastic and probably the most authentic I've seen as well. I'm going to get the gram flour and nigella seeds tomorrow so I can make these!

    And now I'm going to check the rest of your recipes - many thanks for sharing. :-)

    Mike (Sydney, Australia ex London ex New Zealand!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Mike,

      I am so delighted that you like this post! Yes, I was trying to go for the kind of bhajis that Indian mums make!

      Let me know how you get on with the recipe - it would be brilliant to hear from you.

      It's always great to hear from people who like to browse my recipe pages. I hope that you get great results!

      Do keep in touch!

      Very best wishes
      Snigdha

      Delete
  2. Are you tired of bland or uninteresting Indian cuisine ? It’s time to experience what true Indian food should taste like. At Paramparaa Indian Restaurant, you’ll find quality ingredients expertly prepared to ensure you always get something exciting and delicious.It’s Located in Healesville , Australia. From wonderful samosa, onion bajji, chicken pakora, paneer 65 as an appetizer to butter chicken, garlic naan, or saffron rice or biryani, the offerings at Paramparaa Indian Restaurant are always delicious and enjoyable. If you’re in the mood for seafood, be sure to try the Prawn curry or Fish Fry.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Cookie Delivery in Melbourne CBD – Little Cupcakes - Enjoy adorable and mouthwatering cakes, and explore a wide range of cupcake options like cupcakes, birthday cakes, and custom cake orders in melbourne cbd. 

    ReplyDelete