How to make onion bhajis – recipe | Felicity Cloake's Masterclass

5 hours ago 1

It’s one of the great tragedies of life that fried foods do not reheat well. Take your average supermarket bhaji: sadly stodgy and soggy, when it ought to be crisp, its continued popularity is a triumph of hope over experience. If you want to enjoy these beloved Indian snacks at their best, you’ll either need to go out to a restaurant … or make them yourself.

Prep 20 min
Cook 8 min
Makes 8

2 medium onions
1 small knob fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves
1-2 green finger chillies
1 small bunch coriander
2 fresh curry leaves (optional)
1 tsp cumin seeds
¼ tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp ghee, or butter
60g gram flour
30g rice flour
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp turmeric
Juice of ¼ lemon
Neutral oil, for frying

1 A note on the onions

Start by peeling, trimming and thinly slicing the onions into half-moons; a mandoline would be helpful here, but, if you have one, please use the guard! The pink onions common in India are sweeter than our own brown variety, so feel free to use red onions or a mixture of the two, if you prefer.

2 Prep the aromatics …

Peel a little skin off the ginger with a teaspoon to reveal the flesh, then finely grate – you need about two teaspoons’ worth, so remove more skin off the knob of ginger as necessary. Peel and finely chop the garlic, removing any green sprouts. Trim, seed and finely chop the chillies; use a milder variety, or even an eighth of a green pepper, if you prefer, or substitute chilli powder to taste.

3 … and the herb leaves

03a Felicity Cloake’s onion bhaji aromatics and herbs

Finely chop the coriander and the curry leaves, if using – the latter are widely available in large supermarkets these days, as well as in specialist south Asian food shops. If you find yourself with more than you can use up in a couple of weeks, they freeze well; pick the leaves off the stems, then put them in a freezer bag and expel as much air as possible before sealing and freezing.

4 Toast the spices

04a Felicity Cloake’s onion bhaji. Toast the spices. Put a small frying pan on a medium-high heat, toast the cumin and fennel seeds until fragrant, then tip into a mortar. Melt the ghee or butter in the same pan while you roughly crush the seeds (you could also put the seeds in a bowl and crush with the base of a mug or glass); there’s no need to pulverise them completely.

Put a small frying pan on a medium-high heat, toast the cumin and fennel seeds until fragrant, then tip into a mortar. Melt the ghee or butter in the same pan while you roughly crush the seeds (you could also put the seeds in a bowl and crush with the base of a mug or glass); there’s no need to pulverise them completely.

5 Start the batter

05a Felicity Cloake’s onion bhaji. Spices in flour.

Put the gram (chickpea) and rice flours in a large bowl with the salt, turmeric and roughly ground spices (and chilli powder, if using), and whisk to combine.

Felicity Cloake’s onion bhaji. 5 Start the batter. Put the gram (chickpea) and rice flours in a large bowl with the salt, turmeric and roughly ground spices (and chilli powder, if using), and whisk to combine. Add the melted ghee and lemon juice, followed by just enough cold water to bring the mix to the consistency of double cream; you’ll probably need about six tablespoons of water in total, but add it only gradually.

Add the melted ghee and lemon juice, followed by just enough cold water to bring the mix to the consistency of double cream; you’ll probably need about six tablespoons of water in total, but add it only gradually.

6 Finish the bhaji batter

Stir in the onions, ginger, garlic, chillies and herbs until well mixed and coated.

Put the oil in a deep-fat fryer, or in a deep pan or wok to fill it by no more than a third, then heat it to 180C; if you don’t have a probe, test by dropping in a little bit of the batter – if it sizzles immediately, then floats, the oil is ready. But beware: if the oil is too cold, your bhajis will be greasy, and if too hot, they will burn.

7 Shape the bhajis

While the oil is heating, put a bowl of cold water and a plate lined with kitchen towel near the hob, and turn on the oven to low. Once the oil is up to temperature, wet your hands and shape tablespoon-sized amounts of the bhaji mix into balls.

Drop these very carefully into the hot oil, being careful not to splash yourself or to overcrowd the pan, so work in batches.

8 Fry the bhajis

Felicity Cloake’s onion bhaji. Once the oil is up to temperature, wet your hands and shape tablespoon-sized amounts of the bhaji mix into balls. Drop these very carefully into the hot oil, being careful not to splash yourself or to overcrowd the pan, so work in batches. Cook the bhajis for about four minutes in total, turning occasionally, until crisp and golden all over, then scoop out with a slotted spoon, drain briefly on the kitchen towel and put in the oven to keep warm if necessary while you cook the next batch, making sure the oil comes back up to temperature first.

Cook the bhajis for about four minutes in total, turning occasionally, until crisp and golden all over, then scoop out with a slotted spoon, drain briefly on the kitchen towel and put in the oven to keep warm while you cook the next batch, making sure the oil comes back up to temperature first.

9 Serving suggestions

Felicity Cloake’s onion bhajis read witgh herby dip.

Serve the bhajis as a savoury snack or starter with chutney or pickles. I especially like them with coriander chutney: whizz 100g fresh coriander with a small green chilli, a tablespoon of grated ginger, the juice of two limes and two tablespoons of neutral oil, until smooth. Add salt and sugar to taste, and maybe a splash of water to loosen, if necessary.

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