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Red Onion Bhajis

Red Onion Bhajis

For this live cook, we were joined by Grace, who has worked for a year with Luke and Sara at High Grange Devon.  She came up with the idea of an Indian themed sharing platter for our cook.

She cooked Tandoori Chicken with a Curry Dipping Sauce.  Nic was in chage of the bread dish, so we tried a Roti, which uses just 3 ingredients and minimal proving.

Whilst the Live Cook preparation underway, Nic and Grace realised they share much in common, including the love of a bit of healthy competition.  So they embarked on a Bhaji Off.  Grace cooked her Red Onion Bhajis and Nic stuck with his tried and tested Onion Bhajis recipe.  You’ll have to try them both to decide which one is your winner!

Recipe Credit:  Grace Swindell

Cooking surfaces

Wok

BBQ Temperature

Ingredients

  • 6 red onions, finely sliced
  • 1 bunch fresh coriander, finely chopped
  • 4 tbsp gram/chickpea flower
  • 4 tbsp salt
  • 2 tsp onion powder
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 3 tsp turmeric
  • 3 tsp Garam masala
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • Mango chutney to serve

Equipment

Method

  1. Finely slice the onions. Place the onions into a mixing bowl.
  2. Add the salt to the onions and rub the salt into them.  The salt draws out the moisture from the onions to make the bhajis cripy.
  3. Leave the onions to sit for 1 hour.
  4. Use a sieve to rinse the salt off the onions and then use a clean dry tea towel to squeeze as much moisture out of the onions as possible.
  5. Mix the gram flour and spices in the same bowl, just make sure it’s dry first. Put the onions and coriander into the dry flour and spice mix. Stir it all together thoroughly.
  6. While stiring the mixture, you may need to add a bit of water until it forms a thick paste coating the onions and other ingredients.
  7. Fire up your Big Green Egg and set it to 180°C with the EGGspander basket inside sitting on top of the fire ring.
  8. When your Egg is stable at 180°C, add the wok and pour in the oil. Leave it for 20 minutes to heat up.
  9. Test the oil is warm enough by adding a sliver of onion in the oil. It should sizzle when you drop it into the oil.
  10. Once the oil is hot enough, add the mixture in dessert spoon portions. Be careful when you add them to the oil that they remain separate and that you don’t splash yourself. You’ll only be able to cook 5 or 6 at a time.
  11. The mixture will brown as it fries. Halfway through using a slotted spoon, turn the bhajis over and cook the other side.
  12. Once they are cooked, remove them from the oil with your slotted spoon, allowing the majority of the oil to drain from them. Place them onto a plate covered in a few sheets of kitchen towel.
  13. Keep them warm and once they are all cooked, serve with Grace’s Tandoori Chicken and Curry Dipping Sauce with some mango chutney on the side to dip into.
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