Onion Bhaji Recipe
One of the simplest starters to make but has to be one of the all-time favourites in Indian restaurants. A vegetarian dish which is cooked in large quantities and stored in a fridge for re-heating. Can be microwaved or re-fried just prior to serving.
The oil that these are fried in, takes on a fantastic flavour and is never thrown away. This can be used for making curries or base sauce.
Typically a takeaway or restaurant will make these in large batches, the finished Bhaji are then placed in the fridge and refried to order. This drastically speeds up service allowing starters to be produced in moments.
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time 15 minutes
Ingredients
Makes around 8 Bhaji's (depending on size)
dry mix:
3 medium-sized Spanish onions sliced quite fine
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon mixed powder
1 fresh Chilli finely chopped (add more if you like hotter)
1 inch of fresh ginger cut into thin straws
2 cloves fresh garlic finely chopped.
1 tablespoon of finely chopped fresh coriander
1 teaspoon methi
Gram Flour
Oil for deep frying
Optional additions
tablespoon Rice Flour (optional)
1 teaspoon Kashmiri Masala Paste (optional)
The Garlic and Ginger can be replaced by garlic and ginger paste if you have some to hand.
Method
Place all into a large mixing bowl and fold with your fingers until all mixed.
Now add gram flour bit by bit until the mix is quite dry but still slightly sticks together when pressed. The amount of gram flour will vary but should be around a cup.
If you have any rice flour you can add a tablespoon in as well and this gives a crispier version.
Set aside and leave for at least 1 hour, this will allow the onions to sweat and no water is needed to make them sticky which will hold their shape when cooking.
Depends on the type of bhaji you wish to make but you can use this mix for either the round ones or the flat versions. If you making round ones I use a large ice cream scoop which is a little larger than a golf ball. if I am doing the flat versions I then press the ball in my hands to form the thing flat shape just prior to placing them in the oil.
Deep fry the Bhajis until golden brown at 170c. After 2 minutes you can place an end of a spoon into the centre of the Onion Bhaji's to make sure the centre gets cooked and is not doughy.
Once the bhajis are cooked most of the bubbles will stop rising and will be golden brown.
Serve with salad and mint sauce
It's a great option for vegetarians, and it can also be served as a gluten-free option. It's perfect to serve at parties, as a snack or even as a side dish with a main meal. Overall, Indian Onion Bhaji is a delicious and versatile dish that is sure to please any palate.