Topic: CA's Onion Bhajis (Illustrated!)

[Cory Ander]

Absolutely Fumble...just use what your normally use to fry chips! 

I often use a wok to deep fry in too (poppadoms, bhajis, etc)

[Bobby Bhuna]

What tasty looking Bhajis! These are so getting made. I will post pictures in the next few days.

[Secret Santa]

Don't take this the wrong way CA but I don't like small flat bhajis. In the old days (yawn!) I always had those snooker ball sized round bhajis, perfectly crisp on the outside, well cooked on the inside and oh so flavourful. Flat bhajis of any kind are an indication of the chef not having the skill to cook the round ones properly. I personally can't and I notice more and more restaurants doing these flat, measly, travesties of the real onion bhaji. The skill is just draining out of the BIR trade.

[Jethro]

Don't take this the wrong way CA but I don't like small flat bhajis. In the old days (yawn!) I always had those snooker ball sized round bhajis, perfectly crisp on the outside, well cooked on the inside and oh so flavourful. Flat bhajis of any kind are an indication of the chef not having the skill to cook the round ones properly. I personally can't and I notice more and more restaurants doing these flat, measly, travesties of the real onion bhaji. The skill is just draining out of the BIR trade.

Don't take this personally, but perfectly round onion bhajis are invairiably comercially available bought in ones. Give me hand made irregular shaped ones any day.
If you have made them by hand you would know its virtually impossible to get that round shape unless you use so much gram flour that you end up with a cannon ball of 25% onion and 75% stodge..discuss peeps 

[Cory Ander]

Don't take this the wrong way CA.....

Statements of persoanl preference and accepted as such: 

• but I don't like small flat bhajis
• I always had those snooker ball sized round bhajis, perfectly crisp on the outside, well cooked on the inside and oh so flavourful

Statements hard not to take slightly personally and marginally irritating: 

• Flat bhajis of any kind are an indication of the chef not having the skill to cook the round ones properly
• these flat, measly, travesties of the real onion bhaji

Thanks for your comments though SS, I've seen much worse!  ;D

[Bobby Bhuna]

Lol, I'm one of those unhealthy chaps that like maximum fried surface area on pretty much everything. Flat a knobbly is the way forward for me - especially with some Raita!  ;D

[Cory Ander]

Especially for you SS! 

Onion Bhajis the size of cricket balls (sorry, I don't possess snooker balls!) 

Round(ish), smooth(ish) and crispy on the outside and well cooked and oh so flavoursome on the inside. 

Incidentally, the smaller the onions are chopped, the smoother the surface (as mentioned in the recipe).  I chopped these onions to about 2cm lengths instead of the 4cm lengths specified in the recipe.

For information, both the cricket ball and Bhajis weighed about 160g each!

I cooked the bhajis for 4 minutes at 150C (to cook the insides), then for 1 minute at 180C (to Crispen the outsides).   

However, 6 minutes (or so) at 140C may be more preferable to ensure that the middles are completely cooked. 

To be honest, it is tricky to get the balance right and I would recommend smaller Bhajis(of about half the size) as the preferred option (as per the recipe).  The smaller they are the easier they are to make, that's for sure.

I love the fact that the cricket ball is made in India too!  ;D

PS:  Cricket ball supplied as reference - umpire's suspicions of ball tampering proved to be unfounded!   :

[Secret Santa]

Get out of it, that's a mini cricket ball, you can't fool me! 

Even so, the inside of the bhajis in that pic still look slightly uncooked to me. I must admit it's a while since I've been able to get the ones I was talking about, but they definitely weren't factory produced like someone else suggested, they were round but not factory round.

Mind you mine come out like that too and I just don't like the insides being "doughy".

[welshman2004]

I find if you make a thinner batter you get a more of a cooked inside to the bhajis - if it is thicker you do tend to have a 'doughy' inside.
Cheers

[Secret Santa]

Hi welshman, I certainly follow your logic about having a thin batter but I've tried it with batters of all consistency and I just can't seem to get the crispiness to go all the way through the bhaji like the ones I used to get at the restaurants. Must be something I'm doing wrong but I don't know what.