You two make me laugh. There is barely a post on this entire forum that doesn't include an argument between you. It's great from a readers point of view as we get 2 sides of every story - keep it up!

Thanks for the advice. My wife doesn't trust my CTM cooking yet so she will have the TA number on speed dial. This could be mu one chance to impress.

I'm going to have a crack at cooking a Chicken Vindaloo and CTM (for my wife) over the weekend. I don't want to bother making 2 batches of Base sauce but I notice some seem better for spicier dishes than others. Can I make any base or are there any that would work particularly well for this? As its my first attempt from this Forum I was thinking I would go for the Bruce Edwards base as it seems quite simple and well regarded. As for the CTM and Vindaloo recipe - I'm still undecided. There seems to be way too much choice and no clear winner. Any help would be very much appreciated.

When I was eating the finished product I couldn't see any potato or aubergine in the bhaji. I'm guessing as they were grated they ended up as part of the batter. I was also just completely guessing the amounts of everything so the odds of getting it right first time were very remote.

He was adamant that they used very few spices in the bhajis. The only one I can guarantee is in there was the Turmeric. Maybe is we put together a list of definate, probable and possible ingredients I can make a big batch of plain batter and add the spices one at a time until its just right. My list would be:

Definate:

Turmeric
Salt

Probable:

Paprika
Cumin
Garam Masala
Fennel Seeds
Fresh coriander

Possible

Onion Seeds
Cumin Seeds
Methi leaves
Asafoetida
Chilli powder
Ground coriander
Lemon juice
Grated potato

If people could let me know their thoughts on this it would be great. Once I have the list I'll begin experimenting.

Also, if anyone gets on well with their local BIR it would be really useful if you could ask what they put in their recipe.

Hi Rebecca

Its nice to see a lady interested in cooking curry's, this forum seems to be very male dominated!!! I hope you know what you are letting yourself in for. Once you start cooking curry at home you will spend the rest of your life chasing the rainbow, trying to find that elusive 5% that makes a good curry into a BIR curry.

Good luck, and if you ever find the pot of gold, be sure to share!

Chris

Well the results were interesting and there is definite potential. The main problem was the amount of water that the aubergine let out. This meant I had to add in too much gram flour to get the required thickness which in turn led to cakey bhajis. They were also pretty bland so probably needed a lot more turmeric and coriander. I also think it would benefit from a few more spices regardless of what the Dhanshiri chef said.

On a positive note, I think the potato and aubergine did bring a new and very pleasant element to the bhajis. There was definitely a slightly rubbery texture to the bhajis that I don't usually get but which somehow felt right.

I used 1 large onion of about 200 grams, and about 50 grams of grated potato and 50 grams of grated aubergine.

Next time I make them I'll use my standard v1.1 recipe but add in these 2 extra ingredients and see what happens.

Has anyone else ever hear of a BIR using these ingredients? I wouldnt have thought many would use aubergine, but I bet quite a few do include the potato. It must be a cheap way to bulk out their batter.

I ordered a takeaway from my favourite Indian restaurant in Fleet (The Dhanshiri) yesterday evening and it came with some absolutely wonderful onion bhajis. As I order from them a lot and they seem to know me quite well I thought I would phone them up to say what a lovely curry it was and to ask what it was in the Bhajis that made them taste so nice.

The chap I was speaking to wandered off to the kitchen to speak to the chefs to find out what went into them for me. When he came back his answer was staggering, I nearly dropped the phone!

Apparently apart from onions and gram flour there were only 3 ingredients. Haldi powder, potato and ... wait for it ... aubergine. I know there has been lots of talk on this forum with various curry recipes about less being more when it comes to spices, and maybe this is one of those times.

There was also salt and what I assume was coriander (could have been Methi but I don't think so). These were probably the best BIR bhajis I have had, if the recipe is re-creatable at home then I'll be a very happy man. I've already been to the shop to buy an aubergine and I have a batch of batter resting in the fridge as I type this. fingers crossed!!!!!

Hmm, pictures wont upload for some reason. They are only 212k each. Any ideas anyone?

I'm not sure if this needs its own topic but as the previous one had so many posts I didn't want this to get lost. This is the closest I can get to BIR style at the moment but I have a couple of new ideas to play around with which may provide some interesting results.

I hope this is a lot easier to follow and I look forward to hearing everyone's thoughts and ideas once they have tried them.

Onion Bhaji Recipe v1.1

They freeze really well so make a big batch and just defrost and reheat (Follow Step 10).

Ingredients (Makes 8 - 10 Bhajis)

500 Grams Onions
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Chilli Powder (Optional - Mild or Hot depending on preference)
1 Tsp Asafoetida
1 Tsp Paprika
1 Tsp Cumin
1 Tbsp Turmeric
1 Tbsp Garam Masala
1 Tbsp Cumin Seeds
1 Tbsp Fennel Seeds (may be crushed or halved depending on preference)
1 Tbsp Black Onion Seeds
1 Tbsp Dried Fenugreek (Methi) Leaves
1 Tbsp Fresh Coriander
150 Grams Gram Flour

Method

1.   Slice the onions pole to pole very finely and put to one side.
2.   In a large mixing bowl add everything else including 100 grams of gram flour (sifted if you have time). (Photo 2)
3.   Add very small amounts of water at a time and mix until you have a very very thick batter. (Photo 3)
4.   Add the onions and mix well so all the onions are covered. (Photo 4)
5.   Place the bowl in the fridge for 30 minutes. This will draw a lot of moisture out of the onions making the batter a bit thinner. You still want it sticky rather than runny.
6.   Beat the mixture with a wooden spoon to get everything mixed together really well. Add in the remaining 50 grams of gram flour until the mixture is just sticky again.
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.   Drop in 2 - 4 balls (slightly bigger than golf balls) of mixture at a time (Photo 5) and reduce the hob to low. You need to maintain a temperature of around 130 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 140 and they cook too quickly. (Photo 6)
9.   Turn them every couple of minutes until they start to go golden brown (after about 6 - 8 minutes). I like to then remove them from the pan and put 2 more in. While they cool I use the back of a large spoon to squash them into 1 inch thick disks. (Photos 7 and 8 )
10.   You can then either freeze them like this or cook them for another 3 - 4 minutes if you are eating them immediately. For the second cook through the oil still needs to remain at around 130 degrees. They will be very crispy and cooked all the way through.
11.   Once cooked put them onto a piece of kitchen roll and fold it over so you can squeeze a bit of the fat from them before serving.
12.   They are ready to eat! (Photos 9 and 10)
13.   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.

Depending on just how big you like your round bhajis there probably isn't any reason to change this method, just leave out the flattening part. The raw mix is very sticky and easy to shape into balls. Anything up to golf ball size will be cooked evenly right the way through. If you want bigger then its probably more of a problem (I've never tried). In that case I would think you would have to soften the onions in a frying pan before adding to the gram flour and spice mix. You could probably fry them in some of the spices to pack them with added flavour. (NB don't fry them in garam masala or you will end up with a very bitter taste).

I have just finished a new batch and taken a few photos. I'll put them up photo by photo tomorrow (Top Gear is on!). Here is the finished product. They tasted really good although I think there is still plenty of room for improvement.