Topic: CWG's IG Style Bhajis

[chriswg]

I've tried Dips and IG's bhajis and found both lacking a little something. IG's were a little bland for me, Dips didn't quite cook correctly, so here is my recipe which (hopefully) combines the best from both recipes.

Ingredients:

1.5 Large onions (300 grams)
0.5 Potato (50 grams)
1 egg
1 tbsp Kashmiri Masala paste
1 tbsp Spice mix (I use IG but any will do)
0.5 tbsp Aniseed (Essential, don't substitute with anything)
0.5 tsp Asafoetida
1 tbsp Lemon dressing (juice will do)
2 tbsps Chopped fresh coriander
1 tsp salt
A few drops yellow or orange colouring
Gram flour

Method

1.   Slice the onions pole to pole very finely and put them into a large mixing bowl.
2.   Chop the potato into the thinnest matchsticks your knife will allow, if you can get them half the size of an actual matchstick then you are doing well. Any larger and the bhajis will look like they have french fries sticking out of them!
3.   Add all of the other ingredients apart from the gram flour, egg and salt and mix well.
4.   Add the salt at the last second and give it a quick mix.
5.   Add the egg to the bowl and mix well.
6.   Start adding Gram flour until the mix gets very sticky and all of the onion has a coating of flour. You don't want too much so it gets too dry. See Dips video to get a good idea of what I mean. There is enough moisture with the egg and lemon juice not to need to add any water.
7.   Now for the most important bit, preheat your oil in a medium sized saucepan to around 140 degrees (any hotter and the mix cooks too quickly on the outside and the onion will have a raw taste).
8.   When you form the bhajis it is essential not to squeeze the mixture together too much. The secret here is to keep the mixture airy, like a birds nest would be. This means the oil can penetrate to the middle of the bhaji and cook it through evenly. Drop in 2 - 3 balls (about 2.5 inches in diameter (bigger than golf balls, smaller than tennis balls)) of mixture at a time and reduce the hob to low. You need to maintain a temperature of around 140 degrees (it will drop by at least 10 degrees when you put the bhajis in). Any lower than 125 degrees and the will go greasy and break up, and higher than 150 and they cook too quickly. They should gently bubble in the oil.
9.   Turn them every couple of minutes until they start to go golden brown (after about 10 minutes). They can be eaten immediately, or left to cool and then either reheated in hot oil for a minute, or frozen for a quick snack another time.
10.   Very important tip. Save the oil in a bottle to use next time. Once you have made these 2 or 3 times, the oil will smell amazing and the bhajis will taste even better. Wait until it is completely cool then pour it into the bottle. When you next use it, if you have a few floaters in the oil, just pass it through a sieve when you pour it into the saucepan.

[Razor]

Hi Chris,

Thanks for the recipe.  Just one thing, you don't include egg in your list of ingredients but you mention it in the method.

Would you mind put up the 5 Bhaji's for this months group test now, including links.

Ray

P.S,

Wish I'd have spotted this an hour ago, just knocked up a batch of the original IG bhaji's.  Would have loved to have done a quick side by side.

[chriswg]

Well spotted, I've changed it now.

What did you think of the IG's?

[Razor]

Hi Chris,

I think the IG method, is as sound as it comes.  Flavour wise, it's quite a subtle bhaji, great for kids or newbies to indian food.  Personally, I like a little more spicing in them which is why I add 2 tsp of spice mix.  I also, reduce the aniseed to just a pinch, and replace with dried methi, gives them a real savoury note.

I'm not over keen on aniseed flavour in a bhaji and never experienced it before.  A hint of it is fine, but not too dominating for me.

Ray

[moonster]

quite timely this Chris, i am just starting to knock up the bhajis ready for tonight. what is the best method for reheating them.

thanks moonster

[Razor]

Hi Moonster,

Not wanting to answer on Chris's behalf, but a quick dip back in the deep fat fryer for a couple of minutes is my method.  Helps the bhajis retain their crspy exterior.

Hope that helps fella.

Ray

[emin-j]

I was chatting to the owner of one of our local takeaways recently and explained the difficulty in cooking Bhaji's making sure there cooked on the inside as well as the outside and he said ' Here's a little tip ' If the Bhajis are not cooked through on the inside put them in the Microwave for about 3 minutes then back into the Oil to finnish 
I have tried this and it works.

[moonster]

thanks for the replies, thats it then just bang them back in the fryer.

menu for my guests tonight


starters

popadoms and dips
chris's onion bajis with CA's mint riata
DP's mini chicken tikka and side salad

main meal

Razors chicken Tikka jalfrezi with mrs moonys pilao rice ;D and garlic nan (courtesy of the clay oven bakery) best bought ready made naans on the market in my opinion.

desert

Nefis turkish delight

who says there is anything wrong with plagerism .

honestly thanks all for some great recipes particuarly your jalfrezi Razor.

moonster
 

[Razor]

No probs Moony

Hope it all goes well tonight mate.  Manchester's only about 3 hours from Boro, might just pop up for a free scran ;D

Ray

[chriswg]

Wow, that's my king of dinner!

As Razor said, you can cook the bhajis anytime during the day and leave them at room temperature. When you want them just put them in the oil for a cuople of minutes and they are ready to eat. Don't have the oil too hot or they will blacken very quickly. Too cool is better than too hot.