Onion Bhaji Recipe

Slice and soak onions

Peel and thinly slice onions into half-moon strips. Place the sliced onions in a large bowl and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp of the salt. Rub the onions with your hands for 1–2 minutes until slightly softened and releasing some moisture. Let sit 10 minutes; this helps reduce harshness and helps the batter cling.

Prepare spices and aromatics

While onions rest, combine ground cumin, ground coriander, turmeric, red chili powder, garam masala, remaining salt, and black pepper in a small bowl. Finely chop cilantro and green chili, mince garlic and grate ginger.

Make the batter

In a separate mixing bowl, add chickpea flour and rice flour. Stir in the spice mixture, chopped cilantro, chopped green chili, minced garlic, grated ginger and lemon juice. Add 2–3 tablespoons of water and mix with a spoon or your hand to form a thick, coarse batter. The batter should be just thick enough to coat the onions — add additional water 1/2 tsp at a time if needed. Taste and adjust salt/spice.

Combine onions and batter

Add the drained onions to the batter and toss thoroughly until every onion strand is coated. Let the mixture rest 5–10 minutes so the chickpea flour hydrates; mixture should hold together when scooped but not be runny.

Heat oil

Pour oil into a deep, heavy-bottomed pan or wok to a depth of about 2–3 inches (enough for fritters to float). Heat oil over medium-high heat to 175–180°C (350–360°F). If you don't have a thermometer, test by dropping a small pinch of batter into the oil — it should sizzle and rise steadily without browning instantly.

Fry bhajis in batches

Using two spoons or your fingers, drop golf-ball-sized mounds of the onion-batter mixture into the hot oil, taking care not to overcrowd the pan. Fry 3–4 minutes per batch, turning occasionally, until golden brown and crisp. Adjust heat to maintain oil temperature; lower if they brown too quickly, raise if they absorb oil and become soggy.

Drain and rest

Remove cooked bhajis with a slotted spoon and drain on a wire rack or paper towels for 1–2 minutes. Finish frying remaining batter in batches, reheating oil to temperature between batches.

Serve

Serve hot or warm. Optionally sprinkle with a little extra salt and a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve with chutney (mint-coriander or tamarind) or yogurt dip.