Easy oven baked bhajis mean no stress about deep fat frying. Simply pop into the oven, turn half way through and Bob’s your uncle. Delicious served with my quick raita.
You could of course make this with standard orange carrots, or whatever colour you desire, but I just love the deep purple pops of colour when you break open each bhaji.
To make this dish completely vegan, use a plant-based yoghurt alternative. Just be sure to make sure it is the unsweetened variety.
Makes 6 large bhajis
Ingredients
- 2 large onions, very finely sliced (around 200g)
- 2 large purple carrot, grated (around 100g)
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1″ fresh ginger, minced
- 20 curry leaves
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp nigella seeds
- 1/2 tsp ground chilli (optional)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 150g gram flour
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
For the raita
- 150g yoghurt of choice
- 3″ cucumber, grated
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- 1 sprig of mint, finely sliced
- Handful of coriander leaves, finely sliced
- Squeeze of lemon
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/ 200°C convection
- Add the oil to a large heavy-bottomed pan and place in the oven to preheat.
- Mix the onions, carrot, spices and gram flour together in a bowl with 80ml cold water. The mixture should be sticky without being too dry or wet. If needed add a little more flour or water to get a thick consistency which coats all the vegetables.
- Divide the mixture into 6 rounds.
- Add the bhajis to the hot pan.
- Cook for 10 minutes before flipping and cooking for a further 10-12 minutes till golden brown and crispy.
- Remove and allow to drain on a piece of kitchen towel.
- Meanwhile, place the grated cucumber into a clean tea towel and squeeze out all the excess moisture.
- Add to a bowl with all the remaining raita ingredients and mix.
Dr Pippa 