Onion Bhaji Recipe

[Vipa]

I am sure I am not alone in my obsession with the Onion Bhaji. Along with the popadums and the magic roundabout of chutney, pickle and mint sauce, it is the only dish I can guarantee will accompany my order whenever I eat out or take-away from an Indian Restaurant.

 

They do of course vary from restaurant to restaurant, but generally the recipe is almost normally similar in flavour and texture. But the one thing that has frustrated me about Onion Bhaji is that no matter what recipe I try and there has been a few, I can't seem to replicate the perfect Bhaji at home.

 

I have recently been trawling the internet to see if I can find the perfect UK Indian Restaurant Onion Bhaji recipe, but it would seem that the true recipe is more like a highly protected trade top secret. Nearly all the recipes I have found are a long distance from what I have managed to learn about the infamous Onion Bhaji.

 

I have been told that the Bhaji should be deep fried then allowed to cool and dry out for 24hours then gently pulled to create cracks in the batter, before finally being deep fried again just before serving. The other basics are that it is obviously made with gram flour, fresh green chilli and has a small aniseed flavoured seed which I assume is fennel. Other flavours like turmeric and cumin also find their way in. The rest however, is a mystery to me.

 

The following recipe is one I have married together from various others and what I know. We tried it tonight and its pretty close and rather tasty, but it still lacks that something only to be found in a restaurant.

 

I would be more than grateful if someone could show me the holy grail of the Onion Bhaji recipes.

 

 

In the meantime, here is the one the wife and I tried tonight:

 

Onion Bhaji Recipe

Axe Style

 

Ingredients

1/2 tsp Onion seeds

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1/2 tsp Fennel seeds

1/2 tsp Black Mustard Seeds

1/2 tsp Chilli Powder

1/2 tsp Fenugreek

1/2 tsp Garlic & Ginger paste

1 tsp Turmeric

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Lemon Juice

1 lge Spanish Onion

3 Green chillies, seeds removed, chopped finely

4 tbls Yoghurt

4 oz Gram Flour.

 

 

Method

Preheat oven to 150C. Grind seeds in a pestle & mortar and mix with remaining dry spices and flour. Add garlic & ginger paste and lemon juice and 3 tbls of yoghurt and mix to a thick paste. Add more yoghurt if required. Half and slice the onion and mix well into the paste. The onion will give moisture to the batter making it looser.

 

Taking a spoonful of the mix at a time, drop into med-hot oil for several minutes. Make sure the Bhajis do not stick to the pan as this will colour them prematurely. Carefully break the centre slightly with a fork and turn the bhaji and cook for several minutes more. Drain and move to a baking tray and place them in the oven for 15-20mins. This will ensure that the mixture is cooked right through.

 

Axe

 

Forget making them..... take a trip to Adlington just outside of Chorley, Lancs and pay a visit to Shajus Indian Restaurant. They make the best bajis outside of India and the Dopiaza is to die for, I have yet to find better and I've been trying for something like 23 years since I first ate there! Sadly, I live out of the area now and so visits tend to be measured by the decade these days!

[Axe]

Vipa, I appreciate the comments and surprisingly, the chance of me being in the Chorley area is higher than you might imagine, but the quest is about making the bhaji and not buying it in. Walmer Bridge to Brighton is exactly 301 miles, I reckon they would be cold by then

[chriswg]

Hi Axe

 

I'm on the same quest. If you join www.cr0.co.uk you will find loads of like minded people. I imagine your research has already taken you there, its a good place to pick up new ideas.

 

My biggest problem with Onion Bhajis is the cooking method. I'm convinced most Indian Restaurants use different recipes, it's just the method that is the same. I have asked several Indian chefs how to cook them and the answer is always the same. Mix a gram flour batter, add spices - ground coriander, turmeric, cumin e.t.c. Add onion and drop into hot oil. Anyone who has tried that will know the result is far from what an OB should tast like.

 

So what is the secret? I dont know (yet) but it is probably down to speed - i.e. as you mentioned in your first post they are part cooked a day or two before they are used. You will sometimes see big trays of them sitting on shelves in the kitchens. I think oil temperature for the fist fry is very important. I go for around 140 degrees so they take 8 - 10 mins to cook. Any hotter and they get dark brown in 3 - 4 mins. A proper bhaji should be light gold in colour. The second fry after 24 hours of sitting at room temperature should be just there to heat them through - maybe at 150 degrees to get a crispy shell.

 

I hope this helps. Like I said, I'm not there yet - far from it - but I'm an awful lot closer than I was 6 months ago. Any progress is positive news. It is amazing that on the entire internet there is still no definative answer.

[Axe]

Chris thanks for the heads up, what a great site, I hadn't run into it.

[Axe]

I have recently been very lucky to be invited to my favourite Indian Restaurant, to see them make Onion Bhaji. So today, I did just that, at 11am I popped over to see them make up enough for the weekend trade.

 

What first struck me was the shear scale at which this is done. It is incredible, they make up 25kg of Onion at a time. Anyway, without boring you with the details I have adjusted my recipe to closer match that of the restaurant.

 

Ingredients

2 Lge Onions

½ to 1 Cup Gram Flour

1 tbl Corriander Leaf

½ Sml Potato

½ Egg Beaten

¼ tsp Hot Chilli Powder

¼ tsp IG Spice Mix

¼ tsp Salt

1 Drop Yellow Food Colouring (Optional)

 

(Spice Mix = 2 Parts Turmeric, 1.5 Parts Curry Powder Medium, 1 Part Corriander, 1 Part Cumin, 1 Part Paprika)

 

Method

It is important that when mixing, you use your hands to gently mix the ingredients through, using a spoon would break or bruise the onion releasing extra moisture. Half and slice the onions, cut the potato into match sticks add the Fennel and Corriander and mix. Add the Chilli and Spice Mix and mix. Add the colouring if using and the egg and salt and mix. Add the ½ cup of Gram Flour and mix adding more if needed. You are aiming for a very sticky batter. Wet hands and form the mix into rounds the size of tennis balls (it is important to not to squeeze the mixture together). On a medium heat deep fry the bhaji in until golden, roughly 8-10 mins. Remove and allow to rest. Once dry, gently break a little before deep frying again to serve.

 

Bhajis will keep for up to 3 days after pre-cook and the flavour will relax slightly the longer they are left. Add chopped green chilli to give it more kick.

[hendersons]

jut found this while looking for a dall recipe thought you may like

 

http://indian-recipe.org/curryforum