The Perfect Onion Bhaji
My Perfect Onion Bhajis are deep fried Indian fritters, consisting of thinly sliced onion served up in a nutty, savory, spiced batter. They are perfect as a starter, great for parties or as part of a main spread. These delightful morsels will disappear quicker than you can fry them off.
ONION BHAJI INGREDIENTS
- ONIONS: Organic white onions sliced finely, They lace together and hold the batter to create a great tasting bhaji.
- SODA WATER: Chilled soda water adds a lighter texture and structure to the batter when fried.
- GRAM FLOUR: This can come under a variety of names including chickpea flour or besan flour. It is a flour made from ground chickpeas and has a wonderful nutty taste and is gluten free.
- CORNFLOUR: Is a flour milled from corn kernels and results in a crispier batter.
- BICARBONATE OF SODA: Reacts with the acidity of the soda water to activate and create a lighter batter.
- GARLIC: Crushed garlic or minced garlic infuses flavour and aroma to the bhaji.
- CHILLI: I’ve tried this recipe with red chillis, green chillis and with added chilli powder to change the heat level of the bhaji. After a little trial and error I enjoyed the freshness of the green chillis in my bhaji best. If you enjoy hot flavours then maybe use a hot dipping sauce to pair with the bhaji.
- SPICES: You can use any or all of your favourite spices here. The spices i have used are traditional Indian spices and give a great rounded flavour. They compliment the green chilli and onion perfectly.
RECIPE
The Perfect Onion Bhaji
Indian fritters consisting of finely sliced onion served up in a fried, savory spiced batter.
Equipment
- 2 5 litre bowls
- 1 deep fat fryer
Ingredients
- 4 small white onions
- 150 ml soda water
- 140 g gram flour
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 large green chillis
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 1 tbsp ground corriander
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cayenne powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground fenegreek
- 1/2 tsp tumeric
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Instructions
- Heat a deep fat fryer to 190 degC.
- First start peeling and cutting the onions in half. Then thinly slice the onions and place into a bowl.
- Add the salt and stir to coat the onions evenly. Set aside and allow the onion to soften, approx 15 min.
- Meanwile measure out the flours and spices and combine all into a bowl.
- Add the soda water to create a thick batter.
- Incoporate the batter into the onion.
- Once thoroughly mixed, drop dessert spoon portions of the batter into the hot oil.
- Fry for 4 minutes and when turning over, give the bhajis a slight squeeze to flatten and break open the crust. This will allow the bhaji center to cook through evenly. Fry for another 4 min on the other side until nutty brown.
- Remove from the oil and allow excess fat to drain onto a kitchen towel
- Enjoy with sweet chilli sauce.
Notes
Make sure not to over crowd the fryer as a big drop in temperature will stall the frying and the bhaji’s will absorb oil.
If you enjoyed My Perfect Onion Bhaji, why not try out a few of my other lunch ideas such as:
SIMPLE GOATS CHEESE & HONEY, ITALIAN INSPIRED BRUSCHETTA,