Cauliflower and Red Onion Bhaji with Cucumber and Yoghurt Dip served with salad
Prep time: 15 minutes / Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves 4.
Traditionally bhajis are made with gram flour (chickpea flour) but we have adapted this recipe to use a kitchen cupboard staple that is plain flour. This dish can be simply served as a main course with a side salad or can be a lovely side dish to a curry. Alternatively the bhajis will make for a great party food, especially served with a selection of dips.
INGREDIENTS:
Bhaji mix
1 medium size cauliflower
2 red onions
150g flour
180ml water
1 tsp cumin
Salt
For frying
Vegetable oil
Cucumber & yogurt dip
250g yogurt
Half a cucumber
To serve
Salad
EQUIPMENT NEEDED:
1 large frying pan
1 fish slice
1 serving bowl
1 oven tray
2 mixing bowls or 1 mixing bowl and 1 extra serving bowl
Grater
1 colander
METHOD:
1. Prepare the cauliflower: Start by removing the outer leaves. Using a large knife, cut the cauliflower into four large pieces, cut vertically through the stalk so you end up with 4 cauliflower wedges. Then grate the cauliflower into a large bowl – hold the cauliflower pieces by the stem part, make sure to grate as much as you can of each wedge, but mind your fingers (it is ok to be left with a little bit of each wedge that you cannot grate, it will just be stalk)
2. Peel and cut the onions in half. Slice the onions as thinly as possible.
3. Place the grated cauliflower & sliced red onions into a colander. Sprinkle with salt and mix together. Let it rest for at least 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile make the yoghurt & cucumber dip: Simply wash the cucumber and dice it as small as possible, mix with the yogurt in the serving bowl.
5. Then squeeze the cauliflower and onions to release any liquid. Do this with your hands, grabbing handfuls of it and squeezing them as much as you can. Do this with the colander in the sink so you can discard the liquid as you squeeze. Keep the squeezed cauliflower & onion aside.
6. To make the Bhaji batter: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the water, flour and cumin with a pinch of salt to form a paste.
7. Tip the squeezed cauliflower and thinly sliced onions into the batter and mix very well.
8. To cook the bhajis: Heat a large frying pan on a medium heat with 2-3 tbsp of oil. Using a tablespoon, place small amounts of the bhaji batter in the pan to form round shapes, gently press each one with the back of the spoon to flatten to half the thickness. Four to five at a time works best (depending on the size of your frying pan). Make sure they are not touching otherwise they will stick together. Fry until golden, using a fish slice carefully flip them to the other side and continue cooking until both sides are nicely golden and piping hot.
9. When cooked, place the Bhaji’s onto a serving tray, and continue to fry in batches until all the bhaji mix is finished. If you are using a small frying pan this will take longer so I would suggest that you place the Bhaji’s into the oven to keep warm as you continue making the rest of them.
To serve simply arrange 4-5 bhaji’s on each plate, alongside a side salad and a dollop of the yoghurt & cucumber dip.
TIPS:
How to slice onions: Think of the onion as a globe with the root end as the South Pole and the top as the North Pole. Running from North Pole to South Pole, you have lines of longitude, once you peel the onion, you can see lines in the onion that look just like the longitude lines on a globe. To thinly slice our onion, we want to cut along those lines of longitude (top to bottom).
Firstly trim off the tip and the root, then cut the onion in half from pole to pole, and then slice each half thinly.
Utilising the cauliflower: Once you have finished grating the cauliflower make sure to keep the left over bits that you could not grate. They will be ideal to use in your soups or try cutting them very small to sneak them in your sauces, especially if making white sauces.
Feel free to also add some extra vegetables to the bhaji batter, like grated carrot, potato or broccoli. Nice recipe to get fussy eaters to have some different vegetables, as it is all grated and there are no big bits.
Alternative to frying, you can also cook the bhajis in the oven. Line a baking tray with baking paper, place the spoonful of bhaji batter on the baking paper and cook until nicely browned. Great alternative if you are watching your calorie intake.
If you are making the yoghurt & cucumber dip in advance, I would recommend to remove the cucumber seeds, otherwise if left too long the dip can become watery.
The yoghurt & cucumber dip could be taken to the next level with the addition of some fresh mint or coriander, if available. Simply wash and chop the mint or coriander and mix with the cucumber yogurt. You can also add spices like cumin or coriander to the dip. In traditional Indian cuisine, this yoghurt dip is called raita.
This bhajis would also be lovely served with a mango chutney if you have any available.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
Cauliflower - Cauliflower provides a massive amount of vitamin c and other vital nutrients, with the benefit of being a great heart friendly vegetable.
Red onion - Red onions are an amazing ingredient which can help aid a healthy lifestyle. These benefits are known to be high levels of vitamin c, b vitamins and potassium. Being high in potassium helps to lower an individual’s blood pressure.
Cucumber - The high levels of water in cucumbers helps with hydration. In addition they have high amounts of fibre and vitamin A and C, which helps with stomach health and keeps bones healthy.
Yoghurt is rich in very important nutrients like calcium that helps us keep healthy bones & teeth and B vitamins that may protect against heart disease. It is also a good source of protein. If watching your calorie intake, always best to choose low fat varieties. The types of yoghurt containing live bacteria or probiotics may help boost digestive health and also reduce digestive problems like bloating.
