Curry Recipes Online
British Indian Restaurant Recipes - Starters & Side Dishes => Starters and Side Dishes Chat => Topic started by: Chilli on December 13, 2009, 03:22 PM
-
Hi All
Had a go at Onion Bhaji's this weekend and overall tasted prety good. The only problem i had was actually trying to keep them fixed together without them breaking up on entry to the oil. Some stayed together quite well others broke up. Any ideas out there.
Cheers Chilli ;)
-
Hey Chilli
There's a lot of things going here that could contribute to your Bhajis breaking up. This could be due to the mixture, the temperature of the oil, or the pan you are using.
I think the first thing I would need to know as are you doing flat Bhajis (e.g. like squashed fishcakes in appearance) that you are shallow frying or are you doing Pakoras (e.g. more like round balls in shape and deep fried).
But going back to basics I would say firstly your mixture should be able to hold it together in the precooked stage. That's you don't want a loose watery mixture. I aim for a not too thin batter that is a bit like yoghurt in consistency. The other thing is that the oil needs to be of a temperature where it will immediately cook the outside, thereby sealing the Bhajis or Pakoras and thereby holding it's shape. However if too hot you get instantly burned, bitter pieces and raw mixture on the inside, so I would say oil at 170/180 should be in the right ballpark.
These are just my initial thoughts but if you post your recipe here I might be able to add some more comments as will others. There's a wealth of experience on this site so I am sure you will get the help to move your Bhajis forward.
-
hey chilli
i had the same problems till i just made the batter stiffer. I now make it quite stiff .
watch this video, i copy it now except for flattening the bhaji as like them traditionally bir round. Onion Bhajis (حلال) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoP6pGvoHvM#normal)
hope that gives you a starter for making top notch bhaji
-
Nice one jimmy2x
That looks like it's solved my problem. My batter was far too thin. ::)
Just goes to show what a excellent site this is.
Cheers. ;)
-
I'd be interested to know if you added baking powder to your batter. I find this is often responsible for the bhajis breaking up instantly. If not then I would suggest your oil is possibly too hot. I cook mine at a maximum of 150 degrees. It means they can cook in the oil for 4 - 5 minutes without browning too much. I then take them out and leave them on the side for a few hours to cool at room temperature. This ensures the mix is nicely cooked all the way through.
I don't like the way she cooks them on the video above. They are basically sticky onion balls rather than a batter based bhaji. As mentioned previously you need a fairly thick batter (yoghurt is about right) so you can still form balls (or patties) in your hand.
Let me know what recipe you used. Contrary to popular belief bhaji cooking is a fine art. I've been trying to perfect them for months and I'm still only 90% there.
-
Oh not that woman again!
-
Oh not that woman again!
aye, but my bhaji's have improved since following that vid.
-
Hey chriswg
I tried this method, right or wrong it worked quite well.
I mixed with the onion salt, then added the spice mix stirred in and left it for 4hrs.
Mixed the gram flour with carbonated water and a pinch of salt. (probably not used by BIR's)
Then mixed together and deep fried the Bhaji's for a few minutes.
Left them to cool and will re-heat for the second cook and serve. ;)
-
Forgot this :P
I also added some shredded potato to the onions as well. ;)
-
Forgot this :P
I also added some shredded potato to the onions as well. ;)
Here we go again :)
-
Hi Chilli
Which method are you referring to? If you mean the video then which parts exactly did you follow? By leaving the onions to marinate in the spices for 4 hours and by double cooking them your results will be very different (and MUCH MUCH better) than hers would have been.
Also, good work with adding the potatoes. There seem to be a lot of people on here keen to knock the idea without even trying it. I have quizzed 5 indian BIR chefs about their bhajis, and all 5 include potato in them.
Have you done the second fry through yet? A couple of pics would be good if not. I hope they didn't colour too much on the first fry through if you were cooking them at 170 or 180 degrees. I find they brown in about 1 - 2 minutes like that.
-
A thick batter of greek yoghurt and chick pea flour, a tiny bit of baking soda, preferred spice mix, a little diced chilli and a deep fat fryer at about 170c. Secret is plenty onion (cut very thinly off halved spanish onions and batter like glue. Cook till a darkish gold. Holds together perfectly - 4 flattened pool ball shapes. Crisp outside, soft cooked middle. Works for me.
-
Chilli
I'll post a vid on this soon. Mine is a mix 'n' match affair but they just get better. It's more about how you place them in the fat than anything else and the consistency of the batter too.
Like em sweet? Like em hot? Anything is possible anyway me writing won't help at all. I'm making another batch next week, I'll probably film and post it. Not saying I'm right, but I do have good results.
Hi All
Had a go at Onion Bhaji's this weekend and overall tasted prety good. The only problem i had was actually trying to keep them fixed together without them breaking up on entry to the oil. Some stayed together quite well others broke up. Any ideas out there.
Cheers Chilli ;)