Topic: Bhaji prep for the weekend

[chriswg]

I'm planning on cooking a Vindaloo on Saturday night so rather then my usual plan of quickly knocking up Bhajis on the day, I thought I would plan ahead and see if I can get close to BIR style.

I'm using the CWG 1.1 ingredients. Annoyingly there weren't any potatoes in the house so I had to make do with jsut plain old Onions

Last night (Thursday) I quartered the onions and sliced them as finely as humanly possible. Using Global knives, this was very fine indeed! I added the spices and salt to the onions and stuck them in the fridge for an overnight marinade / soften.

This morning at about 6:50am I added gram and rice flour in very small quantities until the onion was just about covered and very sticky. I didn't add any extra liquid apart from a small squeeze of lemon dressing. I rolled these into walnut sized balls and deep fryed them for 4 - 5 minutes at 130 degrees.

When they were jsut starting to colour I removed them, put them on a plate and stuck them in a cupboard. They will remain there until this evening when I am planning on squashing half of them flat and leaving the rest round. I'll leave them in the fridge overnight ready to be cooked tomorrow evening. I'm also considering putting 1 of each type in our warming oven for a few hours prior to cooking. This will help replicate the how BIR kitchen environment that their Bhajis sit in all evening before being cooked.

I can't think of anything I'm not trying with this batch. They looked great this morning after their first cook through. I'm still concerned that 1tsp of ground coriander and 1tsp turmeric might be too much spice for 7 bhajis. I'm more interested in the texture from this method than the taste. If this works I can reduce the spices next time to get that balance right.

I have some pics but cant upload at the moment as Im at work.

[Malc.]

Chris,

As part of my visit today which i'm sure you'll read with interest. I have been offered the opportunity to visit my local next week to watch as they prepare over 200 Onion Bhaji.

If this doesn't shed some light on our quest, i'll be mortified.

Regards,

Malc.

[chriswg]

Get in the hole!

[Secret Santa]

I quartered the onions and sliced them as finely as humanly possible.

The problem is Chris that no Bhaji (that I've seen) does it that way. The ones I have are at least roughly 5mm slices, as you can see them in the finished article. So why the ultra fine slices? 

I rolled these into walnut sized balls

Again, why?   

[chriswg]

I'm trying to get rid of the rawness of the onions. The thicker the slices, the longer they need to cook. When I fry onions for hotdogs I cut them in 5mm slices and they need at least 10 mins to cook through at a high temperature. Once you add in the spices and batter you cant cook the onions for that long - it just burns. Maybe once I get better at the method I'll be able to increase the width of the onions but for now I'm keeping it as small as possible.

The same reason goes for the walnut sized balls. The smaller they are, the more likely they are to cook through. Something I feel is plaguing us all.

[JerryM]

chriswg,

dedication is impressive.

i'm with Secret Santa on the cut width - it don't need to be too fine - 3 to 5 mm i feel is good. the main breakthrough for me was leaving the whole mix for 5hrs and not adding any water (as per Panpot's advice). this soften's them perfectly.

i've not tried the 2 stage cook yet - it's next up for sure. i am convinced this leaving them to cool and then re fry will deliver the BIR soft interior but crisp exterior. i don't think having to tap or squash them would be needed.

i'm convinced that they must be cooked in a deep fryer. i use 160C.

as u say no need to get hung up on spice - it's the method we need right 1st.

looking fwd to results.

best wishes,

 

[peterandjen]

The best bhaji recipe i have used is the one i recently posted, seriously its good and if you want to try it it wont take long as a comparison.
Im with chris, i always slice my onions as finely as possible, both because they do cook through before any spices burn, but also because i can cut them finely, call it pride lol.
The only bhaji's i have ever eaten have been flat and about 4" in diameter, or round and the size of a plum.
Some of the bhaji photo's on here i have seen are ridiculous, if someone served me one of those up id run away from fright lol.
But i cant find a decent mint dip recipe anywhere.

[JerryM]

because i can cut them finely, call it pride lol.

peter,

i can read u like a book - i bet u're knife handles are blue. i've just bought a new catering "paring" knife - they don't do blue and white stripes but thankfully no gold and black either.

best wishes fellow brummie. ps some of the family are on that side of town too.

[peterandjen]

No sorry mate, my knifes are cheap ?20 odd stainless steel set of five ones from argos lol, they are about 10 years old and the one i use most often, the big-un is now about half as deep as it was when i first got it, due to use and sharpening.
I will say though that im desperate to buy a decent stainless steel chefs knife, dont want a paring or carving knife, just a decent chefs knife, all metal, with an edge i can run along a steel for sharpening.
Also, the second most used item for me would be my steel, its a proper butchers one that my brother bought when he went to catering college about 24 years ago, which has stood the test of time well but is now getting to the retirement age
The steel has got to be the most usefull item in a kitchen i reckon, the better the steel the sharper the knife, and a chef once said "You dont cut yourself with a sharp knife!"

[Malc.]

Don't forget the pics tonight Chris.