7 years ago my 13 year old self decided to stop eating meat and now I couldn't imagine anything different. I love cooking veggie food and I try my best to make unique tasty dishes which, you often can't get as a vegetarian when you go to restaurants or buy foods in supermarkets as the choice is more limited. Last weekend I decided to make these quirky and yummy onion bhaji burgers which, I served with the Hairy Biker's special homemade chip recipe and rest assured that Si and Dave certainly know what they're doing when it comes to making chips as these chips are delicious. Deep fried chips and deep fried onion bhaji's, so obviously not the healthiest of meals I've ever made. Come to think of it, do I ever really make healthy meals? Nevermind though, a little bit of what you fancy does you good is what my Nan always says so, if you do fancy giving these onion bhaji burgers a go, please do and let me know what you think!
Recipe
Serves 4
For the Onion Bhaji Burgers-
For the Onion Bhajis-
2 red onions, one finely chopped and one thinly sliced
100g gram flour (chickpea flour)
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. curry paste (I used Tesco finest Goan Massala paste which was very yummy but, it is a mild coconut flavoured paste so feel free to use a spicier curry paste like rogan josh or madras if you'd prefer a kick)
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
For the Garlic, Mint and Cucumber Raita-
150g natural yoghurt
2 tbsp. chopped mint
1 small garlic clove, crushed
8 slices of cucumber, each cut into 8
Mango Chutney
1 Beef tomato, sliced
Iceberg Lettuce, chopped
White english muffins
For the Chips-
4 large Maris Piper potatoes
sea salt
Method
1. Start by preparing the chips. Peel the potatoes and cut lengthways into roughly 1cm thick slices. Cut each slice into fairly thick chips and rinse in a colander under plenty of cold water to remove excess starch. (If you have time, it's worth letting the chips soak in a bowl of cold water for several hours, or overnight.)
2. After soaking, pat the chips dry with kitchen paper. Heat an electric deep-fat fryer to 130C. Using a large, metal, slotted spoon, gently lower half the chips into the hot oil and stir carefully. Fry for ten minutes, or until cooked through but not browned.
3. Remove the chips from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on plenty of kitchen paper. Repeat the process with the remaining chips and set aside. (The chips can be left for several hours at this stage.)
4. Next, mix together the raita ingredients with a little salt and pepper, then spoon into a small bowl. Refrigerate until needed.
5. Prepare the onion bhajis. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add the curry paste, chopped chilli and a good sprinkling of salt. Add about 80-100ml of cold water to make a thick batter. Stir in the chopped and sliced onions until they are well coated.
6. When the onion bhaji batter is prepared, heat the oil in the deep-fat fryer to 180C. Add heaped tbsps of onion mix to the pan, a few at a time, and cook for a few mins, turning once, until they are evenly browned and crisp, about 3-4 mins. Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm while you cook the remaining bhajis.
7. Once all of the bhajis are prepared, finish cooking the chips. Increase the temperature of the deep-fat fryer to 190C. With a slotted spoon, lower all the par-cooked chips gently into the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until crisp and golden-brown. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Tip into a serving dish and sprinkle with salt to serve.
8. Finish by assembling the onion bhaji burgers. Halve and lightly toast the english muffins. Spread one half with mango chutney and one half with the raita. Place lettuce and tomato on top of one of the halves of each muffin. Add the onion bhaji (or two bhajis if they are quite small), place the lid on and hold together with a cocktail stick. Serve alongside the chips and enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment