Baked not fried—onion and courgette bhajis
You’ve tried the fried ones and you really like them, so how about baked one’s that are super easy to make? These were really popular when I was selling vegan food.
I’ve updated the recipe and they are even easier to make.
Eat them on their own, with a pickle, chutney, a tomato salsa, a dip—really with whatever you want.
Ingredients
1 to 2 cups gram flour—start off with 1 cup and more flour if needed
1 courgette coarsely grated
1 large red onion cut into slices
1 large handful of coriander roughly chopped
¼ tsp cayenne pepper—add additional cayenne pepper to spice it up more
¼ tsp fenugreek seeds
¼ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp cumin seeds & salt
1 clove of crushed garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
Water—only if necessary
Method
Preheat oven to 200ºC 392F Gas 5.
Line a baking sheet with baking paper or a silicone mat.
Add all ingredients—except the water and gram flour, into a large mixing bowl and mix everything well with your hands.
Now add the gram flour only—still no water and mix well with your hands. There should be just about enough moisture from the courgettes. Don’t try to use utensils—it will not work. You can wash your hands afterwords :)*If you find the mixture too dry add a little water—about 1tbsp at a time. Don’t over do this part—be patient.
This is what the batter should look likeTake a medium handful of the mixture and place it gently on the baking sheet. Carry on doing that with all the mixture. You may need another baking sheet.
Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes—you should not need to turn the bhajis over.
Cool on a wire rack for a short while before serving.
They’re great when you’ve got friends round and you want to make something easy but super tasty, that nearly everyone will enjoy. Make lots!
You can vary the ingredients—I’ve made some with red cabbage, peas, apple cider vinegar and coriander seeds—they are my favourite. Lots of flavour and textures.
Baked bhajis with a broccoli and pea dip
