ONION BAJJI / VENGAYA BAJJI

Bajji is a extremely famous break time snack across India and is made with numerous  vegetables. Potato bajji, raw banana bajji, chilli bajji, brinjal bajji, onion bajji are few well known varieties. Vengaya bajji translates into Onion bajji. You can discover  different varieties of onion bajji or fritters in the Indian cooking. This South Indian style Vengaya bajji is also a famous variation. Thick round cuts of onions are batter coated and deep fried until crisp and golden - Crispy & crunchy outside with well cooked soft & sweet onions inside.

Vengaya bajji is very popular south indian street food that everyone adores. Few onion bajjis with a strong cup of coffee is the most needed snack during monsoons. This onion bajji is served all alone with coffee or tea or with coconut chutney. Here is the very simple and delicious recipe of Vengaya Bajji, you can try at home and enjoy the monsoon along with a cup of tea.

INGREDIENTS:

• Onions - 2 nos., medium sized
• Besan / gram flour - 1/2 cup
• Rice flour - 1/4 cup
• Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Ajwain / carom seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Asafoetida / Hing - A pinch
• Turmeric powder - A pinch
• Baking soda - A pinch
• Oil - As needed, for deep fry
• Water- As needed
• Salt - To taste

PROCEDURE: 

1. Peel the skin of onions. Rinse and cut them into slightly thick round slices.
2. Add rice flour and besan flour in a mixing bowl. To it, add ajwain, asafoetida, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt and baking soda.
3. Mix the flours well with all the ingredients and make a thick batter by adding water little by little. Use a whisk to mix so that there are no lumps.
4. The batter should be thick yet flowing. The onion slice should hold the batter, but not very thick coating should be there. Now dip the onions in the batter so that the batter coats well on both the sides.
5. Heat oil in a kadai. When the oil is hot enough then gently drop the coated onions in oil. Deep fry in medium high heat, flip and cook until golden brown and crisp on both sides.
6. Repeat to finish the onions and the batter. Remove from oil & drain in tissue paper.
7. Yummilicious onion bajji is ready to serve. Enjoy crispy onion bajjis with coconut chutney or mint chutney or tomato ketchup with your piping hot cup of evening tea..!

NOTES:

• You can add normal red chilli powder instead kashmiri red chilli powder. Adjust the quantity as per your spiciness level.
• The consistency of the batter is very important to get perfectly puffed up crispy bajjis so add water accordingly. If water is more and the batter becomes runny, add little more besan flour and mix.
• You can add 1 tablespoon of hot oil to the batter to avoid the bajjis absorbing lot of oil while frying.
• The ratio of besan flour & rice flour should be 3:1 to get a crispy exterior & a soft interior.
• You can add 1/2 teaspoon of ginger garlic paste to the batter mixture to have a different taste.
• Don’t skip cooking soda as it gives softness and puffiness to the baiji. 
• Always fry the bajjis in medium flame and keep flipping so that it does not get burnt. Use fine besan variety for good result.

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