Baked cumin, ginger & turmeric onion bhajis
Onion bhajis are often seen as that naughty but nice addition to a weekend curry. Despite not being deep-fried, these oven-baked delights still have the crunch, flavour, and satisfaction of the traditional Indian delicacy and can be enjoyed guilt-free on any night of the week. As always, feel free to mix and match with your favourite spices at home. The chilli content in this recipe is fairly modest, so please up the ante if you can handle it!
Servings: 10 bites Time: 1 hour
Ingredients
| 2 tbsp coconut oil 2 large or 3 small white onions, peeled and sliced (0.5cm thick) 1 tsp ground cumin 1 inch ginger root, grated 1 tsp ground turmeric 1/2 tsp ground coriander 1/2 tsp paprika 1/2 tsp chilli powder 1/2 tsp chilli flakes 1/2 garlic granules (optional) 120g chickpea or plain flour squeeze lemon juice water (up to 50ml) squeeze lemon juice |
To serve: raita mango chutney |
Method
1. Preheat oven to 180°C fan. Line a baking tray with parchment and lightly coat with oil.
2. Heat the coconut oil in a large frying pan and add the onions. Cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes, then add roughly half of the spices. Cook for another 5 minutes until onions are translucent and softened and the spices are fragrant,
3. Add onions to a large mixing bowl along with the remaining spices, flour, lemon juice, and a generous grind of salt and pepper.
4. Combine everything well with your hands and very slowly add water until a thick paste is formed (up to 50ml). If it gets too runny add more flour.
5. Spoon a tablespoon of the mixture on to the lined tray until all the mixture is used up.
6. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the bhajis are nice and crisp. Remove from the oven, leave to firm up for a couple of minutes then loosen with a spatula. Enjoy alongside a curry, dahl or simple dunked in raita or mango chutney.
