Gujrati Bhajiyas (Fritters for the rainy season)

Rains and bhajiyas are a splendid pair or should we say a match made in heaven. But monsoons in Nagpur are seeing a delay this year. Yet, with the late arrival of monsoon does it dampen our fritters eating habit ? I would say no.

The slightest hint of clouds and a drizzle is enough for us to set our cozy corners with trays of chaa and bhajiya. When friends and relatives visit your house; the easiest hot snack you offer are tea and some bhajiyas.

Even though bhajiyas are the simplest snack recipe out there, they are also versatile. Its simplicity in essence is what lends the versatility to it.

Let me explain, bhajiyas are – any edible stuff + batter+ deep frying or sometimes shallow frying.

The edible stuff can be anything veg, non-veg, vegetable, fruit, crushed, smashed, sliced, ground, cooked, raw, leftover etc we then coat it in a batter of flour and liquid and then fry it in medium hot oil on a low flame till it is crispy from outside and fully cooked and soft from inside.

Please note, while we are defining it so simply and talking about its versatility, we must also understand it is nothing short of testing your cooking skills, not only in terms of techniques but also flavour and texture pairing. Because even though you can push boundaries, experiment new combinations you do not want to end up making a flavour fiasco.

The most important thing to understand is whosoever is enjoying the bhajiyas, it is to be had instant hot off the flame or while still hot to enjoy all the crispy deep-frying goodness.

We know that fritters around the world come coated in different batters. But what defines Indian pakoras, bhajjis, bhajiyas, bora, chop etc and especially most Gujrati bhajiyas are that they are coated in spiced and leavened chickpea a.k.a Besan flour batter and deep fried in hot oil on medium flame stirring occasionally till soft  and well-cooked from inside and golden from outside. So, the bhajiyas that we are preparing for this blog post are the quintessential Gujrati bhajiyas. They are not only yummy to eat and easy to make but pocket friendly too.

Although we all look forward to enjoying fried snacks in the wet rainy atmosphere, we must take care to enjoy them in right proportion using fresh washed ingredients, blanching green vegetables when needed and using the right oil. This way it not only improves your experience of enjoying bhajiyas with loved ones and giving you a sense of pleasure, the additional weight gain is also a guilt free occasion.

Deep frying stuff coated in a crispy batter who would say no to something like that. Hell, I would eat karela properly treated in form of pakoras too.

Well researching more about this simple question, I really found out that Gujaratis make bhajiyas out of karela too it is known as karela na khalva.  I am not an expert at that or never had seen my family make it. Excited to learn something new so sharing the proper links of video recipes that I found to be perfect to try out.

Karela khalva by

Food therapy by Falguni galia

Agashiye Gujrati recipes

Tiny little secret-The pakoras I crave so much were not an exciting  part of my liking in teen years and found them to be too boring and yes, no tea too. Now chai pakora is that flavourful combination which heightens up each sense. Sensing tiny happiness in a such a simple recipe .

• Flavourful Warm steam filling your mouth. Check.
• Fat and flavours lining your lips and palate. Check.
• A cooked through bite. Check.
• Hint of spices in and crispiness of batter. Check.
• Amazing texture variations from the food to fried batter. Check.  
• And most important in our lists of checks-The fiery  salted chillies.

Promising not to eat and you end up eating after each bite and the nonstop cycle of chilli and chutney dipped  pakora bites continuous only broken to be beautifully enhanced by a sip of tea

Each household, state, communities have their quintessential range of bhajiyas or pakoras. You might know an ample variety but end up making your house staples most of the time.

And my house staples are

• Aloo na bhajiya (Sliced potato fritters)
• Pakka Kela na bhajiya (Ripe banana fritters)
• Marcha na bhajiya (Large chilli fritters)
• Makai na bhajiya (Corn fritters)

We sometimes also make

• Arbi patta na bhajiya (Colocasia fritters)

(Black stemmed arbi leaves can also be cut potato sized and drenched in batter . We don’t usually make it but are also seasonal or the arbi roots your choice. We have arbi plant near our house so leaves are easily accessible. ) You can give it a try.

Or you can also make Patras- Do try out. Gujrati Patra.

Some tips for awesome homemade Gujrati bhajiyas.

• Use little rice flour for crispiness and lightness as in to avoid too much oil soaking.
• Use of cool water.
• Use heavy bottom kadhai.
• Use sieved Besan.
• Use Ajwain for digestion.
• Use little bit of hot oil if flakiness is needed  it also avoids more oil to be absorbed .
• Use adequate oil and filled up to right size of kadhai (Indian wok) .
• Use oil with high smoke point.
• Vegetables need to be completely dry.
• Let batter rest for 15 minutes and add only needed soda at last moment.
• Don’t flip while batters still wet.
• Drain oil.
• Most important – a medium consistency. Consistency adjustments are the funniest experiences for newbies where they are lost in adjusting flour and water. Add water slowly while mixing.

You can check consistency by coating your spoon with batter and it should coat to know there is enough flour as too much water will lead to oil absorption , but liquid enough for it to be of coating flow consistency- one where ribbons are made and dissolve easily. Proper coating keeps the inside food soft and moist.

With all the knowledge out of the way we are ready to enjoy a plate full of bhajiyas. Is your tea ready yet?