Kanda Bhajji | Onion Fritters Recipe
Oh My God Bombay rains are the best!!! It has started to rain and my god Bombay is the place to be. We were so late with the monsoon and had the longest dry spell. So it is such a relief to have the rains here and heavy ones at that. This weather calls for some yummy hot food and what better that something fried, right? When we were kids, mom would make Kanda Bhajji for us during the rains – I think most Indians reading this would totally associate as it is a completely common phenomenon across India. Kanda Bhajji, as it is called in Marathi, is basically Onion Fritters or in Hindi it’s called Pyaaz Pakode.
It is a simple dish made from basic spices, gram and rice flour and onions. That’s literally it. And you fry ’em and eat them hot whilst enjoying the rain.
Ingredients:
- 50 ml vegetable oil (for frying)
- 3 onions chopped lengthwise
- 2 tbsp gram flour or besan
- 1 tbsp rice flour
- pinch of hing / asafoetida
- 1/3 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp red chili powder
- Baking Soda/Soda bicarb (optional)
- Salt to taste
Method:
Get your flour and spices together like in the picture below.
Mix your chopped onions into the spice and flour mix. Once this has all come together, add a splash of water (approximately 2 tbsps should be enough). Your mix should now look slightly sticky, but the flour mix would be nicely covering the onions. That’s how you would know this is good to go into the oil. For fluffier and crispier fritters, add a pinch of soda bicarb or baking powder and mix well.
Get your oil in a small wok/kadhai and once it is smoking hot spoon in the onion and flour batter. It should start sizzling right away. With a small spoon, bathe the fritters in the hot oil so they cook from all sides. Put the flame/heat on low and turn them over. Fry until golden brown.
You can either serve them as is or with green chutney or tomato ketchup.
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