Are you ready to start making the best onion bhajis around? Look no further than this onion bhaji recipe. It gets outstanding results.
These are the onion bhajis that feature in m cookbook ‘The Curry Guy’ and so many people have tried and loved it. The thing I like most about this onion bhaji recipe is how crispy they get on the exterior while being super soft on and hot in the centre.
If you’re counting the calories, you might also like to try my air-fryer onion bhajis and baked onion bhaji recipe.
BE SURE TO check out the step by step photos below and your onion bhajis will be better than anything you can purchase. I promise!
So crispy and delicious. You’re going to love this one.
These are real onion bhajis, not a lot of stodge!
So often, you go out and order onions bhajis just to find they are like little balls of gram flour bread without much onion in them. More often than not, it is the ready made meals that have these stodgy onion bhajis in them.
You won’t find that with this recipe!
The onions are first salted to extract moisture out of the onions. Then, that liquid is used to make the batter. The batter really just holds them together. What you find inside is almost all onion!
So here you have my famous and authentic restaurant style onion bhaji recipe!
Make the recipe your own:
Feel free to play with the recipe some. If you like them spicier, add chilli powder or more fresh chillies. Want to try different spices…? Why not?
Just in case you aren’t familiar with panch phoran – it is Indian five spice. You can purchase it at most Asian shops or you could make it yourself if you have the ingredients on hand.
Just take equal measures of fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, black mustard seeds, onion seeds and cumin seeds.
Give the mixture a good mix and you have panch phoran. Add as much or as little as you like. Play with the recipe and have fun!
If you like cooking by photos, I have step by step pics below.
The written recipe is at the bottom of this page.
Sprinkle the salt over the onions and leave for an hour. Then add the remaining ingredients.
Form the onion mixture into small onion bhajis.
Get you bhajis all ready before frying.
Cook in batches. This is important. Add to many and it will lower the oil temperature.
Transfer the onion bhajis to a paper towels after the first frying.
Raise the heat and fry the bhajis for a few more seconds.
These are so good!
Dig in!
If you love this recipe check out these other similar ones:
BIR Style Cooked Onion Onion Fried Rice Chicken Curry with Onions
Yield: 15
How To Make British Indian Restaurant (BIR) Style Onion Bhajis
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Ingredients
3 white onions slightly larger than tennis balls
Oil for deep frying
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon garlic paste
3 green chillies - pounded to a paste
1 tablespoon panch poran*
1 tsp chilli powder
4 tbsp rice flour
140g (approx) sifted gram flour
3 tablespoons finely chopped coriander leaves
Instructions
Cut the onions in half and then finely slice them. Mix the salt into them and set aside for an hour or so.
After an hour the onions will be limp and moist. Add the remaining ingredients to the onions, being careful not to add to much gram flour. You should easily be able to pick up a ball of the onion mixture.
Divide the mixture in to small bhajis.
Heat some oil for deep frying to 160c (320f).
When this heat is reached, cook the bhajis in batches until they turn light brown. Transfer to a plate while you cook the remaining bhajis. At this stage, you are not cooking the bhajis through. You just want to get them started.
Turn the heat up until your oil reaches 180c ((356f)
Add the bhajis in batches and cook for a further couple of minutes until they are crispy and deep brown in colour.
Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain excess oil and serve hot.
If not serving immediately, place in a warm (not hot) oven.
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The best fix is to make sure your onion is as finely sliced as possible – the finer the mixture, the better it will bind. If your bhajis are still falling apart in the oven, we'd recommend trying a muffin tray lined with low calorie cooking spray to separate the mixture into 12 individual moulds.
Combining thinly sliced onions with a spiced chickpea flour batter and pan-fried until crispy, these onion fritters are gluten-free, egg-free, vegan, and a healthy appetizer, snack, or side! There's nothing quite like a portion of onion bhaji to complete an Indian meal.
Onion bhaji originated in the South Indian state of Karnataka and is a teatime favourite for the locals that quickly became the go-to snack when you welcome guests to your home.
Onion Bhaji vs Pakora? They are technically the same. It could be a bhaji, bhajji, or pakora, depending on the region where it is made. In the west, it is known as bhaji; in the south, it is called pakodi; and in north India, it is known as pakoras.
Pakora also can refer to shellfish, fish and meat that are deep fried and not just vegetables, which is what bhaji is. Bhaji typically also don't have many, if any, spices added to the flour.
A bhaji is a type of fritter originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is made from spicy hot vegetables, commonly onion, and has several variants. It is a popular snack food in India and is also very popular in Pakistan.
It also contains fiber, manganese, nutrient B6, potassium, copper. Onion bhajia are very low in calories one more valid justification is to eat it as a guide to weight loss, likewise known to assist with killing microbes that might cause colds and other nasties throughout the cold weather months.
Place the sliced onion in a bowl. Add the minced ginger, chopped green chilli, cumin, ground coriander, dried coriander leaf, chilli flakes, ground fenugreek, salt, garlic salt, gram flour, cornflour (cornstarch), and the bicarbonate of soda. Mix together to coat the onion.
Asafetida powder is a ground powder from the gum of giant fennel, and is often used as a garlic and/or onion substitute in cooking -- especially for those who's diets may not allow garlic or onion consumption.
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. Cook Time 10 minutes. Total Time 20 minutes.
Why are my onion seedlings falling over? In my experience, there are generally two main reasons for why onion seedlings fall over and it is not always an issue to fret about. They either get too large and struggle to cope with their own weight, or there is an issue with watering.
Onion seeds often fall over, try giving them a little bit more water in case they are not getting enough water to support themselves. I would give them more light and water and get them a bit stronger with a view to hardening off before planting out. I hope this helps and that your seedlings pick up soon.
Bunching onions prefer a soil with a pH of 6.2–6.8. Extra-hardy varieties will normally survive the winter if the soil is well drained. DIRECT SEEDING: Sow ¼" apart in rows of 2–3" wide bands,¼–½" deep. Thin to about an inch apart only if large diameter is needed.
Overwatering can turn your green onion's home into a swampy mess, leading to leaves that are more slumped than a teenager on a couch. If the leaves are dropping like flies at a swatter convention, and the buds are tighter than a miser's purse strings, you're pouring too much love—and water—into your plant.
Introduction: My name is Nicola Considine CPA, I am a determined, witty, powerful, brainy, open, smiling, proud person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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