Recipe: Onion bhajis - the ultimate beer snack

I LOVE A delicious curry, but I'm sure I'm not alone in saying that I would feel content just tucking into starters at the Indian.  As I knocked up a batch of lamb curry for dinner this week, I just fancied a pick; onion bhajis fitted the brief.  As it turned out, I cracked open a beer and started nibbling at them as I awaited the rice cooking. The spice and crunch of the bhajis washed down with with a cool beer turned out to be a superb combo. 

The beauty of homemade bhajis is that you can create a batch relatively quickly and they're ideal if you have friends around to watch the football and have a few beers with.  If you have the time, allow the batter to rest in the fridge for at least half an hour.  

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Ingredients (serves 4):

2x medium organic white onions
150g gram flour, sifted
1x green chilli, finely diced
1tsp cumin seeds
1tsb coriander seeds
Seeds of two cardamon pods
Sea salt
Water
Oil for deep frying

Method:

1) In a dry pan, toast the spices for 10 seconds.  Place into a grinder or pestle and mortar and grind until fine.  Sift the flour into a large bowl and add the ground spices and the diced chilli.  Gradually add the water and mix to form the batter.  Place in the fridge for around half an hour to settle.

2) Preheat the fryer to 170C. Place the chopped onions into the batter and mix with your hands until coated.  Take a spoon with one hand and grab a pinch of the mix with the other, shaping into a rough ball.  Slowly drop into the hot oil and cook for 2 1/2 minutes until the bhaji begins to float.

3) Whilst cooking, mix some freshly chopped mint with some natural yoghurt and add a pinch of salt and lemon juice to make a tasty dipping sauce.

4) Serve with a cold beer.  Happy cooking! 



                       

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