What You Need
- 2 large onions, thinly sliced
- 1 cup (100 g) chickpea flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 green chili, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- ~6-7 tablespoons water
- Canola oil for frying
Make the Batter
In a large bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour, baking powder, salt, cumin, and turmeric.
Add the chili, cilantro, lime juice, and water. Stir until you get a thick batter that coats the spoon. Too thin and it won’t stick to the onions.
Mix with Onions
Dump the sliced onions into the batter.
Use your hands to mix – really get in there and make sure every onion slice is coated. A spoon won’t do it properly.
Fry Them Up
Heat about an inch of oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Test with a drop of batter – it should sizzle right away. If it sits there, wait longer.
Drop spoonfuls of the onion mixture into the oil. Keep them golf-ball sized so they cook through.
Fry 3-4 at a time – crowding makes them greasy. Cook ~1 minute per side until golden brown all over. Keep turning them for even color.
Drain and Eat
Lift them out with a slotted spoon onto a wire rack. Paper towels make them soggy.
Keep frying batches until the batter’s gone.
Eat while hot and crispy. Good plain or with cucumber mint raita for dipping.
The chickpea flour is the key here – regular flour won’t give you the same crunch. Find it at Indian stores or the international aisle. These reheat OK in the oven but they’re best fresh.
Onion Bhaji
Ingredients
- 2 large onions thinly sliced
- 1 cup 100 g chickpea flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 green chili finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- ~6-7 tablespoons water
- Canola oil for frying
Instructions
- Whisk chickpea flour, baking powder, salt, cumin, and turmeric in large bowl.
- Stir in chili, cilantro, lime juice, and water until thick batter forms.
- Add sliced onions and mix thoroughly with hands to coat completely.
- Heat 1 inch oil in skillet over medium heat until drop of batter sizzles.
- Drop golf ball-sized portions into oil, frying 3-4 at a time for 1 minute per side until golden.
- Transfer to wire rack to drain.
- Continue frying in batches until batter is used up.
- Serve immediately while hot and crispy.
