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Cleve West's onion bhajee recipe
A fabulous recipe for onion bhajees handed down by Cleve West's grandmother, a part-time actress, who played Ava Gardner's mother in the film Bhowani Junction. The bhajees, (piajoos), achieved notoriety when fed to Ms Gardner on the film set, and Cleve often deep-fries them at the plot in a karahi over an open fire whenever there's cause for celebration
Onion bhajees
(As fed to Ava Gardner by my grandmother on the set of Bhowani Junction)
Ingredients
- 4 medium sized onions
- Gram flour
- Water
- Pinch of baking powder
- Salt and pepper
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Chillies
- Fresh coriander
Sift gram flour, turmeric and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Add garlic, ginger, chillies, salt and pepper and mix well. Add water a little by little stirring all the time making sure all the gram flour is mixed without lumps. The final batter should have a consistency between pancake and cake mix. Stir in chopped coriander.
Heat corn or sunflower oil in a wok or a kharahi over a hot stove. Oil is ready when a small drop of batter sinks to the bottom then rises after a few seconds.
At the last minute add the sliced onions to the batter and begin frying. Work quickly as the onions will release their liquid into the mix and will eventually make it too runny. Place several spoonfuls of the mix into the hot oil and let them sizzle for three minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and let them drain on a plate with kitchen paper.
These are best eaten warm but can be eaten cold if necessary. They are best reheated in an oven (not microwave) where they can retain an element of crispness. Variations of this mix can be made using other vegetables such as beans, courgettes and aubergines.
