Recipe

Heena Patel’s Onion Bhajias

  • Serves12–15
  • Time1 hour

Ingredients

  • 2 cups besan (fine chickpea flour)
  • 2 quarts red onions, peeled and julienned
  • ½ cup semolina
  • 2 tsp red chili powder
  • 1½ tsp turmeric powder
  • ½ tsp asafoetida
  • 3 tsp fine sea salt
  • ¼ tsp ajwain (carom seeds)
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 3 tsp white sesame seeds
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds, coarsely crushed
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds, coarsely crushed
  • 1 tsp black peppercorns, coarsely crushed
  • 2 tsp garam masala
  • ½ cup fenugreek leaves, finely chopped
  • 1 cup cilantro, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp mashed banana
  • 1 tsp serrano chilies, minced
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tsp Eno fruit salt
  • 5 tbsp canola oil, for the batter [confirm 4 or 5]
  • About 1 cup cold water
  • Vegetable oil, for deep frying
  • Sweet chutney, for serving

Method

Mix: In a large bowl, combine the besan, semolina, and onions. Add the chili powder, turmeric, asafoetida, salt, ajwain, sugar, sesame seeds, coriander, fennel, peppercorns, and garam masala, and mix well. Fold in the chilies, cilantro, fenugreek leaves, and banana.

Make the batter: Add water a little at a time until you have a tight but beatable soft batter. In a small pan, heat the canola oil to 200°F and stir it into the batter.

Heat the oil: In a heavy-bottomed pan, heat the frying oil to 375°F. Line a large plate with paper towels.

Aerate: Add the Eno and lemon juice at the same time, gently folding them in until the batter turns bubbly and frothy.

Fry: Using your hand or a small ice cream scoop, drop about 20 g of batter per fritter into the hot oil, a few at a time, without overcrowding the pan. Stir gently with a slotted spoon and fry until golden brown all over, 3–4 minutes.

Drain: Transfer to the lined plate to absorb the extra oil.

Serve hot with sweet chutney and a cup of chai. Expect someone to steal the first one.