by James Martin
Is there anyone in the UK that doesn’t know what an onion bhaji is? They are an iconic part of the British adaptation of Indian food and I say british adaptation because there seems to be a lot more controversy than you might expect from a fried onion fritter.
Bhaji is a bit of an odd phrase even in the context of the average indian restaurant menu as anyone who has ever ordered the ‘Mushroom Bhaji’ expecting something crispy and fried only to receive a dryish mushroom curry has found. In fact the onion bhaji is the odd one out in the world of bhajis as generally the term does signify a dry vegetable curry.
The onion bhaji has far more in common with the Pakora and in places such as Ambala this is exactly what you would find it called. Pakora are spiced vegetables bound with gram flour (Ground chick peas) and fried. Pakora almost universally contains onion but can commonly feature chick peas potato, spinach or a number of additional ingredients; in fact a friend once used coat and fry bread spread with ketchup calling them ‘Bread pakoras’.
Whether Bhaji or Pakora the principle of a good one is the same, finding a great balance between the onion and the gram flour binding it so that they hold together without being gluey, making them crisp and not greasy and of course a distinctive and balanced spice. In this recipe that distinctive taste comes from Ajwain which is not a commonly used spice. It is actually Thyme seed and shares some of Thymes dry bitterness so needs to be used sparingly in curries but works brilliantly with the bhaji.
Onion Bhaji/Pakora
This recipe produces about 9 Bhajis which is the perfect quantity to serve 4 people as a starter or accompaniment whilst leaving a vital extra portion for.. well.. you know... quality control.
Ingredients
- 300gOnionsliced
- 100gGram Flour
- 2tspTable Salt
- 1/2tspChilli Powder
- 1 1/2tspCumin Powder
- 1tspTumeric
- 1tspAjwain
- 50mlCold Water
To cook and serve
- 1/2tspSaltPowdered
- Oil for frying
Instructions
In a mixing bowl add together dry ingredients ensuring that the are well mixed.
Stir in the chopped onions
Add the waters and mix to ensure that all of the dry ingredients are incorporated.
Heat the oil to 200 degrees centrigrate if you are able to measure temperature, if not heat till a small piece of bread bubbles as soon as it is dropped into the oil.
Scoop a generous tablespoon of Bhaji mix and use a second spoon to gently drop into the oil, allow to fry for 2-3 minutes before turning over. Cook for a further 2 minutes or until golden brown. 2 or 3 can bee cooked at once depending on the size of your pan.
Remove from the oil, drain well on kitchen paper. Once all are done gently and evenly sprinkle with powdered salt.
Recipe Notes
Try to slice the onions evenly, if the onion itself is huge then you might want to consider halving the slices, if the are too long the bhaji will be uneven and hold too much oil.
As for choice of oil, ordinary vegetable oil is fine but a popular oil for South Asian food is a mix of Olive and Pomace oil which is easily availble from Indian and Pakistani food shops.
Always take extra care when deep frying, make sure you know what to do in the event of things going wrong.
