Onion Bhajis

Ingredients

• 3 onions, sliced as thinly as possible
• 1 tsp salt
• 120 g gram flour
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 green chilli, finely chopped
• a handful of coriander, chopped
• vegetable oil, for frying
• mango chutney, to serve

Method

1. Salt the onions

   Toss the sliced onion with the salt and leave 15 minutes. It will go limp and sit in a pool of its own liquid — that liquid is the only water this batter gets.

   15 min

2. Add flour, no water

   Scatter over the gram flour, spices, chilli and coriander and mix with your hands until the onion is claggily coated. Add water only a teaspoon at a time if it truly will not come together; a wet batter fries into a solid ball instead of a tangle.

3. Heat the oil

   Heat 5 cm of oil to 170°C — a scrap of batter should rise and sizzle steadily rather than furiously. Too hot and the outside is dark before the onion inside has softened.

4. Fry loosely

   Drop in ragged spoonfuls, keeping them open and craggy rather than packed, and fry until deep brown and crisp all over, turning once.

   5 min

5. Drain and serve

   Drain on a rack, salt immediately, and serve hot with mango chutney. Onions release steam as they sit, so these are at their best within minutes.