Sunday 5 September 2010

Brinjal and spring onion bhajis

The weather sure has started changing this side of the world and I'm completely dreading winter. This morning we had a wee bit of sunshine and made use of it by having coffee on our balcony. About an hour after that it was super windy and started drizzling....ladies and gentlemen, that's the UK weather for you, although...it turned out to be perfect weather for hot bhajji and chai.

Anyhoo, a cousin of mine was leaving London for good and I went over to her place to flick all her unwanted things and I found a cookbook she had kept aside to throw. I flicked it from her saying Id just keep it to fill the 3/4th empty bookshelf in our living room, knowing for a fact I'd never be cooking a single thing from the book. Well, well..surprised I was when I ended up flipping through it last night and stumbled upon this spring onion bhajji recipe and was a wee bit interested in finding out how it tasted. I am not a fan of bhajji at all, and was pretty sure I wouldn't really like it, but decided Ro might (he actually hates it too, kinda) and went about making it. I also suddenly decided it was 'finish everything in the fridge' day and so decided to use one brinjal which was crying out to me for attention. So I have basically adapted the recipe to use brinjal too. The outcome was pretty satisfying and a perfect accompaniment to an evening tea, especially if the rain is pitter pattering on your roof. Enjoy!

Recipe loosely adapted from River Cottage Everyday by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Brinjal/ Eggplant- 1 large, washed, patted dry and sliced into rounds
Spring onions- 100gms, trimmed and diagonally chopped
Gram/ Besan flour- 60gms
Plain flour- 20
Chilli powder- 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder- 1/2 tsp
Fresh coriander leaves- 3 tbsp, finely chopped + enough to garnish
Water/ Beer- enough to make a thick batter
Salt- to taste
Pepper powder- to taste
OIl- to deep fry (I used about 3 tbsp to shallow fry)
In a big bowl sift together the flours, coriander powder, chilli powder, pepper powder and salt.
Mix in the spring onions and the coriander leaves and then add enough water or beer to until you get a smooth, thick batter. Not too loose though.
Add the brinjal slices to the batter and stir until well coated.
Heat the oil in a frying pan and keep it on medium heat. Getting the oil to the perfect temperature is a trick I suppose. The book says, drop a slice of bread and it should turn crisp in about a minute, no faster.
Scoop in about 4 to 5 slices of brinjal into the oil and fry for 3 to 4 minutes, till cooked through. Do not over crown the pan and cook in batches if required.
Drain on paper towels, sprinkle some coriander leaves and serve with raita or chilli sauce.
Notes: If you are not using brinjal, Its fine...just that instead of adding the spring onions along with the coriander leaves, do it only after you make the smooth batter and then drop heaped teaspoons into the oil and fry.
I would add about a half tsp cumin powder as well the next time.

25 comments:

Torviewtoronto said...

looks delicious lovely presentation

aipi said...

ohh..I love bhajis all kind and this combo looks very very tempting..crispy n perfect!!

US Masala

Priyanka said...

Some recipes are best eaten when the weather calls for, bhajiya is one of them. This recipe is great!!!Thanks for sharing.

Tanvi said...

OMG....my mouthis watering looking at those clicks! they look sp crispy n yum

Sayantani Mahapatra Mudi said...

perfect for the weather here. looks lovely and should try this combo.

Suji said...

O live your photography skills Nisha.Looks awesome and I can finish quite a numbe rof them witha cup of tea :-P

GB said...

Hubby loves pakoras of all sorts. I'd made these myself not too long ago (never thought of using cilantro though...might give that a shot next time! :)

Prerna@IndianSimmer said...

Gosh! You just brought back so many memories for me. We used to go to my maternal grandma's place for summer vacations and I loved those bringal bhajia that she made so much that she being a sweetheart that she was would make them for me every evening!
Aww, I'm loving you right now and one of the reasons is your photography :-) Love it!

Monet said...

I agree...your presentation is spot-on1 It is still very warm here in Texas...too warm! But I know that feeling of dread when winter begins to encroach...thanks for sharing this recipe with me!

PJ said...

what a coincidence! just today i was thinking about winter too, but in a dreamy way.. i am much more a cloudy/rainy/colder days person, so i rather prefer winter over summers.. and not to mention the cravings for bhajji and coffee! looks delicious and a nice click.

Debugcooking said...

Oh Nisha..Iam happy to have found you too...I love your space..Im always thrilled to find a fellow indian living in the UK and really excited coz you share the same passion for food and photography!Time to share emails I guess ;-)

Sweet Artichoke said...

Sorry if I always leave the same comment: your pictures are beautiful! They belong to a cooking book! The dark purple of the eggplant contrasts so nicely with the orange of the bhaji paste on the second picture: it is fantastic!
Of course, the recipe is looking super yummy, too :-)

Vineetha Sush said...

Makes me hungry..Yes yes I m afraid fall has already arrived and by the time I come back from India the chilly weather will be welcoming us :( I might get in the next flight and go back home again :)Enjoy the autum..Will catch u when I get bck..bye !!

Akila said...

wow what a fantastic one... simply love it dear...

http://akilaskitchen.blogspot.com

Priya Suresh said...

Crispy bhajis makes me hungry..looks super delicious,love the addition of spring onions..

Rachel said...

Very beautifully presented!

Satrupa said...

Sweety u r a darling ! Luv the bhaji ..... ur clicks makes me drool :)

Cheers n Happy Cooking,
Satrupa

http://satrupa-foodforthought.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

perfect finger food for annoying dull Grey weather....lovely click as always .....:)

Sunitha said...

The second picture is very good. Recipe is tempting.

Unknown said...

Looks tempting......additions of spring onion and coriander leaves are new to me.....will try it...

Ria Mathew said...

I have a problem with brinjals. I love the white ones and hate the violet ones. But if they are under such a disguise, I am sure I'd gobble them down! :)

dsdsds said...

The click is awesome.. esp the second one.. The bajjis look perfect.. Adding beer to make batter is totally new to me.. Nice recipe!

Suja Manoj said...

Brinjal bajji sounds so good..tempting pictures..will surely give this a try soon.

Jane said...

It looks yummy di - I just LOVE brinjal. Used to catch Hugh's shows on BBC Food when I was in SA in 2006 - a really eccentric guy he is.

Sushma Mallya said...

lovely combo and beautiful clicks nisha, nice snack at tea time...