Onion Bhajji ~ Crisp Onion Fritters

These savoury onion fritters are a crowed pleaser. It is one of the popular street food in India. I love to have them hot with a cup of tea. I had made them to take it to my work place and every body enjoyed it a lot. Few of them even remarked that they were really moist and flavourful unlike the ones you get in shops, which tend to be very dry when cold. The secret to it is adding a pinch of baking soda to the batter, it gives the inside of the bhajji a soft texture. I also add a couple of spoons of rice flour in the batter which gives a crispy crunch outside.

Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 cup chickpea flour, shifted.
1 cup sliced onions (About 2 medium onions)
3 tbsp rice flour
1 green chili, de seeded and chopped
11/4 tsp salt
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
handful of chopped coriander leaves
1 tsp ajwain/carom seeds
2 tsp crushed kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
2 tsp oil
1/4 tsp baking soda.


Process:
1. Peel the onion and cut it into four halves. Slice them thinly. Put the sliced onions in a large bowl and toss with the salt. Set aside for 10 minutes.
2. Add the chickpea flour, rice flour, chile powder, cumin, turmeric, ajwain, coriander leaves, baking soda,kasoori methi, green chilli and stir well. Add a couple of tablespoon of water to form a thick batter. Do not add water add water all at once, add spoon by spoon and stir with a spatula to check the consistency.
3. Heat 500 ml oil in a frying pan. When bubbles appear at the bottom of the pan lower it to medium. Drop tablespoon of batter into the hot oil. Fry 5-6 bhaajis at a time. If the pan is too crowded they will not cook evenly. Fry them till they are golden in colour. Stir it occasionally so that they are fried evenly.
4. Remove them with a slotted spoon and drain them on paper towel. Serve hot with coriander chutney or tamarind chutney. It can also be served with ketchup, pairs best with a cup of hot tea or coffee.

Notes:
1. Shifting chickpea flour helps in avoiding lump.
2. Make sure baking soda also has no lumps. Once the batter is made, don't let it sit for too long. Start preparing the bhajis in 5-7 minutes.
3. It is best to drop the batter in the oil using your finger. It can be a bit messy but helps in getting uniform shapes which in turn helps in uniform frying.
4. You can make them in advance and heat them in the microwave before serving.

Have a nice weekend. 

Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!

Besan ki Puri ~ Crispy Chickpea Flour Crackers

These 'besan ki puri' is my childhood favorite. It was one of those special breakfast mom used to make once in a while and each of us used to get no more than 2. Fresh off the pan and served with a hot cup of ginger tea, it was unbelievably tasty. It keeps well for a few days, so whenever we went to Rajasthan to visit my grand parents during the winter holidays, it was made in good numbers for the train journey(from Assam it took 2 days in those day as there was no direct trains). I have made it on my own a couple of times and every time I call mom up to confirm the process and measurements. When I saw Gayathri's event -Walk through the memory lane, I thought to share this recipe.

Makes 8 
Click here for a printable version

Ingredients:

1¼ cup whole wheat flour.

¼ cup AP flour
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp salt.
Water to make the dough.

For the filling:

½ cup chick pea flour (Besan).
2 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves.
2 tsp coriander seeds lightly crushed
1 tsp red chilli powder.
3- 4 tbsp oil.
1 chopped green chilli or as per taste.
½ tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp water.
1 ½ tsp salt or as per taste.
Oil for shallow frying.

Procedure:

1. Mix whole wheat flour, AP flour, salt, oil and knead the dough using water as necessary. Dough must be a little tough as for the puris. Let it sit for 15 mins before rolling.

2. For the filling masala, heat a pan and add the oil. When the oil is ready, add the chick pea flour and heat it for 2-3 mins such the raw smell goes away. Do not overdo it, or the mixture will become very dry.

3. Turn off the gas and add all the spices. Sprinkle a few drops of water over the mixture and using your hand rub it to mix it well. The filling mixture should be moist yet crumbly. This is very important; otherwise it will be a little problem in rolling the puris with filling inside.

4. Now knead the dough well again and make 8 Golf size balls. Using some dry flour roll it into a roti about 3cm in radius.

5. Using a spoon place 1 tbsp of masala in the middle. Join the edges and close it forming a ball.

 Roll it again about 6 cm in radius.

6. Keep a heated tava ready. Heat the roti on tava, when one side is done turn it over and heat on the other side. Brush oil in the top side and turn it over again. Brush oil on the other side as well. Apply pressure with a big spoon while heating. It will help it to become crisp.

7. Repeat the process with rest of the dough. Place the puris on a paper towel separately and let it cool completely before storing.

It is an excellent snack with tea and even goes well with yogurt. It can be stored in air tight container for at least 7 days. How ever, it does become a little soft after storing, still it is great in taste.

Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!