Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Vegetables
- 300 g brown onions, thinly sliced
- 10 g fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
- 1 green chilli, finely minced
Batter and Spices
- 120 g gram flour
- 30 g rice flour
- 4 g fine sea salt
- 2 g turmeric powder
- 2 g ground cumin
- 3 g ground coriander
- 2 g kashmiri chilli powder
- 2 g ajwain seeds
- 45 ml water
Frying
- 500 ml neutral oil
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 61 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- 11 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sugar
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 142 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 0 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 0 g
- Potassium
- 144 mg
- Calcium
- 17 mg
- Iron
- 0.9 mg
- Magnesium
- 22 mg
- Phosphorus
- 46 mg
- Zinc
- 0.4 mg
- Vitamin A
- 59 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 3 mg
- Vitamin E
- 0.2 mg
- Vitamin K
- 1 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Thiamin
- 0.07 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.02 mg
- Niacin
- 0.3 mg
- Folate
- 49 mcg
- Water
- 29 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Place the thinly sliced onions in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle with salt and massage well with your hands for a minute until the onions begin to soften and release their water.
Set the onions aside to rest. This allows them to release maximum moisture, which acts as the primary liquid for the batter.
Add the fresh coriander, minced green chilli, turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander, kashmiri chilli powder, and ajwain seeds to the onions. Toss to coat the onions evenly in the spices.
Sprinkle the gram flour and rice flour over the spiced onions. Use your hands to mix, squeezing gently so the onion juices bind with the flour. Add cold water a teaspoon at a time just until a sticky batter forms that coats the onions thickly. Avoid making it too wet.
Pour neutral oil into a deep frying pan or wok to a depth of about 5cm. Heat the oil to 170°C/340°F. If you drop a small piece of batter into the oil, it should sizzle immediately and rise to the surface.
Carefully drop loose, jagged clumps of the onion mixture (about the size of a golf ball) into the hot oil. Fry 4 to 5 bhajis at a time to avoid overcrowding the pan.
Fry the bhajis for 3 to 4 minutes, turning them occasionally with a slotted spoon, until they are deeply golden brown and crispy on all sides.
Remove the bhajis from the oil using the slotted spoon and transfer them to a wire rack or kitchen paper to drain excess oil. Serve immediately while hot.
Chef's Notes
- Salting the onions and letting them rest is the most critical step. It draws out the natural juices which become the primary binder for the flour, preventing a stodgy texture.
- The addition of rice flour is a secret to achieving that restaurant-style crunch that lasts longer after frying.
- Do not compress the batter into tight balls. A jagged, irregular shape exposes more surface area to the oil, resulting in maximum crispiness.
- Gram flour absorbs moisture quickly. Fry the mixture as soon as it is bound; if it sits too long, the salt will continue to draw out water, making the batter runny.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in an airtight container lined with paper towels.
Freezer: 1 month — Freeze in a single layer before transferring to a bag.
Reheating: Reheat in an oven at 180°C/350°F for 5-8 minutes or in an air fryer to restore crispiness. Do not microwave.
Troubleshooting
Bhajis fall apart in the oil
Cause: The batter is too thin, or the oil is not hot enough.
Fix: Stir an extra tablespoon of gram flour into the remaining batter to thicken it.
Prevention: Do not add too much water to the batter; rely on the onion moisture. Ensure oil reaches 170°C before frying.
Bhajis are dark on the outside but raw in the center
Cause: Oil temperature is too high, or bhajis were packed too tightly into dense balls.
Fix: Lower the heat slightly. Finished dark bhajis can be baked at 160°C for 5 minutes to cook the centers.
Prevention: Maintain oil temperature around 170°C. Form the mixture into loose, jagged clumps rather than tight, smooth spheres.
Soft, soggy bhajis
Cause: Oil temperature dropped too low due to overcrowding the pan.
Fix: Refry them very briefly in hotter oil right before serving.
Prevention: Fry in small batches and allow the oil to return to temperature between batches.
Cultural Context
Originating from the Indian subcontinent, onion bhajis (also known in various regions as pakoras, kanda bhaji, or pyaz ke pakode) are a beloved staple of street food culture. They are deeply associated with monsoon season in India, traditionally enjoyed with a steaming cup of masala chai as rain falls.
