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Onion Bhajiya (Onion Bhaji)

Onion Bhajiya

Onion Bhaji
Vegetarian●●●Origin Tamil NaduPrep 15 minutesCook 15 minutes

Crisp and golden Indian onion fritters encased in a spiced chickpea batter. They are deeply savoury, crunchy on the exterior, and tender in the centre.

Batter seeds

4 gStirred into the batter (step 2)
01
Carom seeds · Ajwain
4 g2 teaspoons
spice
Keep whole; they will be mixed directly into the batter.

Everything else

01
Gram flour · Besan
150 g
flour
02
Bicarbonate of soda · Meetha soda
2.3 g½ teaspoon
other
03
Onion · Pyazcut into thin rings
1000 g
vegetable
04
Vegetable oil · Telfor deep-frying
to taste
oil/fat
05
Salt · Namak
to taste
salt

Method

  1. Whisk 150 g gram flour in a spacious bowl with enough water to produce a dense, clinging batter.
  2. Stir in 0.5 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, the batter seeds, and salt to taste. Tip in 1000 g onion, cut into thin rings, and toss thoroughly until every slice is evenly coated.
  3. Fill a deep pan or kadhai with vegetable oil for deep-frying and bring the temperature to 180°C (350°F), testing with a small bread cube to confirm it browns within 30 seconds.
  4. Lower ladlefuls of the battered onions gently into the hot fat and fry for 3 to 4 minutes, turning as needed until rich golden brown and crisp.
  5. Scoop the fritters out with a perforated spoon, drain on paper towels, and hold warm while frying the remaining portions.

Don't have something?

Gram flour
  • Chickpea flour

    Use the same weight. Gram flour is chickpea flour, so this is an exact swap with the same nutty flavour and binding.

  • Plain flour

    Use about 75–80% of the weight, e.g. 80 g for 100 g gram flour, and add a pinch of turmeric for colour. Less nutty and less crisp; good only for thickening or simple batters.

  • Rice flour

    Use the same weight for crispness, but it does not bind like gram flour; mix with a little plain flour if making pakora batter.

Bicarbonate of soda
  • Baking soda

    Use the same weight; it is the same ingredient under another name.

  • Baking powder

    Use about 3 g baking powder for 1 g bicarbonate of soda; it already contains acid, so expect slight extra rise and a different taste in baking.

  • Alkaline water

    Only for soaking or tenderising, not baking; use enough to cover and expect a much weaker effect.

Ajwain seed
  • Carom seed

    Use the same weight; this is the same spice.

  • Cumin seed

    Use 75% of the weight, toasted; different, less medicinal flavour.

  • Fennel seed

    Use 50% of the weight, crushed; sweeter and milder.

Onion
  • Shallot

    Use equal weight, finely sliced. Shallots soften and brown faster, giving a slightly sweeter and more delicate base to curries.

  • Cabbage

    Use 80% of the weight, finely shredded and browned slowly with a pinch of asafoetida. Replicates the bulk and natural sweetness in gravies without allium.

Vegetable oil
  • Peanut oil

    Use 1:1 by weight. Handles high-heat frying identically and introduces a very subtle, pleasant nuttiness.

  • Ghee

    Use 1:1 by weight. Yields a much richer, authentic aroma and a glossy, heavier mouthfeel.

  • Mustard oil

    Use 1:1 by weight. Heat until smoking, then cool slightly before cooking to temper its intensely pungent, sharp mustard kick.

Similar dishes

Sirkewala Achar
Mixed Vegetable Pickle
Sirkewala Achar is sharp, tangy, and lightly sweet from the vinegar, whereas this dish is savoury and rich from deep-frying.
  • Same: Sirkewala Achar shares the use of sliced onions and salt with this dish.
  • Different: Instead of being seasoned with ajwain seeds and deep-fried in vegetable oil, Sirkewala Achar is a raw pickle steeped in white malt vinegar, garlic, sugar, and olive oil.
Vengayya
Onion Fritters
Vengayya tastes sharper and more herbal than this dish due to the addition of fresh chillies and coriander.
  • Same: Like this dish, Vengayya deep-fries sliced onions seasoned with ajwain seeds and salt in vegetable oil.
  • Different: Vengayya incorporates fresh green chillies and coriander leaf into its chickpea flour batter, which this dish omits.
Bhindi Pyaz
Crispy Okra with Onions
Bhindi Pyaz tastes pungent, fresh, and earthy from green chillies and cumin rather than herbal from ajwain.
  • Same: Bhindi Pyaz also relies on a heavy base of onions cooked in vegetable oil and seasoned with salt.
  • Different: Instead of battering and deep-frying onions with ajwain seeds, it stir-fries them into a dry curry with okra, cumin seeds, and green chillies.
Vengayya Pakora
Onion Pakoras
Vengayya Pakora tastes hotter and more herbal from the chilli powder and coriander, while this dish tastes more savoury from onion with an ajwain note.
  • Same: Vengayya Pakora shares with this dish a chickpea-flour batter, deep-frying in vegetable oil, and a crisp golden outside with a tender savoury centre.
  • Different: Vengayya Pakora adds rice flour, chilli powder and fresh coriander leaf, and it lacks this dish’s bicarbonate of soda and ajwain seeds.