Kanda Bhaji

Gobi Gajar Achar

How to make Kanda Bhaji

  1. Slice 1 large onion thinly and place in a mixing bowl. You should be able to get 1 cup of thinly sliced onions.
  2. Add ½ cup of gram flour (besan) to the sliced onions.
  3. Add 1 teaspoon of salt or as per your taste. You can even add less salt, but these pakoras taste better when they are a bit salty. For a Mumbai-style kanda bhaji version, you can even add 2 teaspoons of coarsely crushed coriander seeds at this step. Crush the coriander seeds coarsely in a mortar pestle.
  4. Add 1 teaspoon of oil to this mixture. The addition of oil makes these pakoras crisp and also helps in less absorption of oil while frying the bhajis.
  5. With your hands mix everything very well. Allow the mixture to rest for 5 to 6 minutes as the onions would leave moisture. The mixture shouldn’t be too dry nor moist. If the mixture looks too moist then add 1 to 2 teaspoons of gram flour (besan). If it looks dry, then allow it to rest for a couple of more minutes.
  6. Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or a deep pan. You can use any neutral-flavored oil.
  7. For crispy bhaji ensure the oil is hot when you start frying. You could do a small test by adding a pinch of batter to the oil. As right oil temperature for frying is very crucial. If it does not rise to the surface that means the oil is not hot. So increase the heat to make the oil hot.If in case the oil becomes very hot the bhajis will get browned quickly and can get burnt also. They will also rise to the surface very quickly. If it rises smoothly and steadily, then the oil is hot enough for bhaji to be fried. Add spoonfuls of the batter to the moderately hot oil. Fry the bhajis on a medium heat or else they won’t fry evenly.
  8. When one side is partly cooked and light golden, then flip the bhajis with a slotted spoon.
  9. Flip a couple of times more and fry them till they become crisp and golden. Fry few kanda bhajis at a time in batches. Don’t overcrowd the pan while frying.
  10. Remove the kanda bhajis with a slotted spoon and place on absorbent kitchen paper napkins or kitchen paper towels. In the same way fry the rest of onion bhaji in batches.
  11. Serve Kanda Bhaji hot with fried salted green chilies, Mint Chutney or mint coriander chutney or tomato ketchup.
  12. For the fried green chilies, slit them keeping the entire green chili intact. Fry them in the same oil, till their color changes. Place them on absorbent paper napkins. Sprinkle a few pinches of salt on the green chilies and mix very well.