Topic: Bhaji Help

[Chilli]

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

[Stephen Lindsay]

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.

[jimmy2x]

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)


hope that gives you a starter for making top notch bhaji

[Chilli]

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.

[chriswg]

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.

[Secret Santa]

Oh not that woman again!

[jimmy2x]

Oh not that woman again!

aye, but my bhaji's have improved since following that vid.

[Chilli]

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.

[Chilli]

Forgot this

I also added some shredded potato to the onions as well. 

[CurryOnRegardless]

Forgot this

I also added some shredded potato to the onions as well. 

Here we go again