Bhajiyaભજીયા
Rain and bhajiya go together in Gujarat. Slices of potato, onion, chilli or spinach are dipped in a spiced gram-flour batter and deep fried, then eaten hot with tea and chutney. They take twenty minutes and use whatever is in the kitchen.
Ingredients
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- 1½ cups gram flour (besan)
- 2 tbsp rice flour, for crispness
- 1 tsp ginger-chilli paste
- ½ tsp turmeric, a pinch of asafoetida, ¼ tsp baking soda
- Salt and ½ tsp carom seeds
- Sliced potato, onion, green chillies or chopped fenugreek
- Oil for deep frying
Method
- Mix the flours and spices, then add water to make a thick batter.
- Whisk the batter for 4-5 minutes so it traps air and fries light.
- Slice the vegetables thin.
- Heat oil to medium-high, dip the slices in batter and slide them in.
- Fry until golden and drain on paper.
- Serve hot with green chutney, fried chillies and tea.
Tips
- If the oil is not hot enough the bhajiya soak it up.
- The batter should coat the slices, about as thick as yoghurt.
- Rice flour keeps them crisp for longer.
Storing and reheating
Bhajiya are a fifteen-minute food. Shut them in a box and their own steam turns them limp, so keep them open on paper or a wire rack. Leftovers hold a day in the fridge. To crisp them again, give them five minutes in an oven or air fryer at 180C, or thirty seconds back in very hot oil.
What you can swap
- No rice flour? A tablespoon of cornflour or fine semolina works; semolina gives a slightly grainy crunch.
- If you would rather skip the soda, beat a teaspoon of hot oil into the batter and whisk well. That lightens them too.
- No carom seeds? Use a pinch of crushed fennel or coarsely cracked coriander seeds.
- No fresh ginger-chilli paste? Finely chop the green chillies and use half a teaspoon of dry ginger powder.
What to serve with it
Bhajiya with evening chai on a rainy day is close to a rule in Gujarati homes. Serve them with green chutney, fried chillies and a shake of salt and pepper. Around Surat they are eaten stuffed into pav, and many families add mint chutney and raw onion.
Mistakes to avoid
- Do not crowd the oil. Too many at once drops the temperature and the bhajiya drink it in. Leave space around each one.
- Do not mix the batter half an hour ahead. Salt pulls water out of the vegetables and the soda loses its fizz, leaving the batter thin.
- Pat the sliced potato and onion dry. Batter slides off wet slices, and the water makes the oil spit.
- Resist sprinkling salt over the fried bhajiya. Season the batter properly instead; surface salt draws moisture and softens them.
Questions people ask
Why don't my bhajiya stay crisp?
Two main reasons: the oil was not hot enough, or they were covered straight after frying. Keep rice flour in the batter and rest them on an open rack. Double frying also works: cook them through on medium, lift them out, and give them thirty seconds in hot oil just before serving.
Can I reuse the frying oil?
Once or twice. Let it cool, strain out the besan bits through a sieve and store it in a glass bottle. Throw it away if it has turned thick and sticky, starts smoking early, or smells off.
Can bhajiya be made in an air fryer?
They can, but they will not taste like fried ones; the texture comes out drier and harder. Keep the batter slightly thicker, brush the slices with oil and air fry at 180C for twelve to fifteen minutes, turning halfway.
