Crispy Onion Bhajia
These crispy onion bhajia are made with slices of red onions tossed in spices and coated in a flavourful batter and fried till golden brown.
Ingredients
For the crispy onion bhajia:
- 4 medium sized onions I recommend half red and half brown/white
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder or any other chilli powder of choice
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 cloves garlic grated
- 2 inch piece of ginger grated
- 1 green chilli finely sliced (optional)
- Handful of coriander finely chopped
- 130 g gram flour (chickpea flour)
- 25 g cornflour this is corn starch if you’re in the US
- 1 tbsp water
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- Chaat masala optional
- neutral flavoured oil for deep frying
For the chutney:
- 30 g coriander
- 15 g mint (optional)
- 8 cashew nuts
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 green chillies use 1 or omit for a milder chutney
- Half lemon juiced
- 3 ice cubes
- 3 tbsp water
- 1 tsp chaat masala or salt to season
Instructions
For the crispy onion bhajia:
- First start by slicing the onions into long strips, then place these into a large mixing bowl
- Add the chilli powder, cumin powder, turmeric, and salt to the mixture, and then add the gram flour and cornflour. Mix to combine, don’t worry if it’s dry as the onions will slowly release their moisture to form a batter
- Next add in the grated garlic, ginger, and coriander, and mix once more. You can also add in the green chilli at this stage if you’re using it
- Allow the bhajia mix to sit for 20 minutes as the onions will release some liquid to help bind it all together. You can make the chutney during this time if you wish
- After 20 minutes, mix the bhajia batter once more and it should now be a lot more cohesive. Add in the baking powder and a tbsp of water and mix once more
- Take roughly a tbsp of batter and gently form into a rough round shape in your hands (it will be a little messy and sticky). Then place it directly into 180’C oil to fry. Fry in batches to prevent overcrowding and the oil temperature dropping
- They will only take 1-2 minutes to fry. Once golden brown, drain and leave aside on a tray lined with a paper towel
- Finally sprinkle with chaat masala before serving
For the chutney:
- Simply place the coriander, mint (if using), cashews, garlic, green chilli, lemon juice and ice cubes into a blender jug and blend till smooth
- After blending it should be relatively thick. Add additional water 1tbsp at a time until your desired consistency. I use around 3tbsp of water for a chutney consistency perfect for bhajia
- Then finish by adding either chaat masala or salt in order to season the chutney