Kanda Bhajee (Onion Pakoda)

Kanda Bhajee is my all time favorite. This is the one of famous Mumbai street food. It's taste is just divine. Aha !......It's aroma, you feel hungry. It makes our rainy season enjoyable.  

Ingredients:

• Besan (Gram flour or chickpeas flour)- ½ cup 
• Onion – 3 large size 
• Red chili powder- 1 tsp or as per likes 
• Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp 
• Asafetida (Hing)- ¼ tsp (optional) 
• Coriander powder (or coarsely crushed)–1 tsp 
• Cumin powder- 1 tsp 
• Soda bicarb- ¼ tsp 
• Salt – to taste 
• Oil for frying - as required 
• Water- as required 

Method 1 (Deep Fry):

• Cut onions into thin slices. 
• Combine onion slices, red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder & salt in the bowl. Mix well with using hands. 
• Add Besan and very little water. Mix it well. (Do not rest this batter for more time, it discharges water hence onion become soft and due to this bhajee become soft. This taste will only good when they are crispy.) 
• Heat oil for deep frying in a kadhai /wok. 
• Put small quantity of above mixture in hot oil. Put the mixture in batches (don’t put all at once). 
• Deep fry till bhajee become golden brown and drain excess oil-using tissues. 
• Serve hot with tamrind chutney and green chutney. 

Enjoy hot bhajee as evening snacks. It is also part of Maharastrian thali.


Method 2 (Healthy option- “Baked Bhajee”):

• Preheat the oven and baking tray to 200 C. 
• Saute sliced onions in a pan with some oil until they turn translucent. (You may do this step in microwave oven.) 
• Add chilli powder, turmeric, cumin, hing, coriander and stir well. Remove from the heat. 
• Add gram flour, salt & soda bicarb in a bowl and mix well. Add the above sautéed onions into a bowl and mix. Add a little bit of water to get the correct consistency, it should be wet and easy to stir, but not sloppy. 
• Drizzle some oil onto the prepared tray, place 2 tbsp of the onion mix onto the tray for each bhaji, flatten slightly with the back of the spoon. 
• Bake for 20-25 minutes, drizzle a little oil on top of the bhajees and bake for an additional 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot with tamrind chutney and green chutney. 

But obviously ......... fried bhajees taste better any time than baked bajees.

कांद्याची खेकडा भजी

साहित्य-

• कांदे- ३
• बेसन- १/२ कप
• मीठ- चवीनुसार
• जिरे पूड- १ टीस्पून
• धणे पूड- १ टीस्पून
• हळद- १/२ टीस्पून
• हिंग- १/४ टीस्पून
• लाल तिखट/मिरची पूड- १ टीस्पून किंव्हा आवडीनुसार
• खायचा सोडा- चिमुटभर
• तेल तळण्यासाठी- आवश्यकतेनुसार

कृती-
कांदे लांब पातळ चिरून घ्यावे.
त्यात वरील पैकी तेल सोडून सर्व साहित्य टाकावे.मिक्स करून अगदी थोडेसे पाणी टाकावे. (मिश्रण तयार केल्यावर लगेच भजी करावी नाहीतर कांद्याला पाणी सुटते व भजी कुरकुरीत होत नाहीत)

मग तेल तापवून त्यात ४ चमचे गरम तेलाचे मोहन टाकावे. हाताने थोडे थोडे मिश्रण घेऊन तेलात सोडावे. व तळून घ्यावे. ही भजी गरम गरम चटणीबरोबर खावी.