Onion Bhajis: Fried Onion Awesomeness for the Whole Family

In our house, “what’s for dinner?” is one of those questions that makes my soul cry. It’s not because I hate cooking, in fact, I really like it.  No, that question chips away at the essence of my being because it’s not as innocent as it appears.  In my house, “what’s for dinner,” is really code for “should I eat a big snack now so I don’t have to eat that junk mom calls food, or should I save room cause she’s making one of my favorites of which I will gluttonously shovel into my pie hole at a rate that should not be humanly possible.”

While it’s true that the nice mom in me should answer kindly and list the various wholesome components that will make up this evening’s fun, family meal, the actual mom in me always answers the same – LIVER and ONIONS. Sure I get an evil stare or two, but the downturn in the daily inquiry of our dinner plans has made up for any tween angst attitude that rolls my way.

Despite my kids’ opposition to organ meats and root vegetables, they are surprisingly pretty adventurous eaters.  As such, tonight’s dinner offering includes the flavor stylings of India – a food genre that, not too long ago, freaked me out. The smell of Indian cuisine always reminded me of body odor, and I could just never get past it. That was until, oddly enough, a friend of mine forced me to accompany her to a $7, all-you-can-eat Indian buffet in a Ramada hotel. I know most people would expect to get an intestinal parasite from a hotel buffet that costs less than a box of tampons, but it was actually really tasty and I left thinking it was a meal I would want again.

And so my adventure into perfecting a few Indian dishes began.  At first the list of ingredients seemed …. intimidating. I mean, what the hell is garam masala and where do I even find that – is that some sort of petrified fish or do I check the produce department (FYI – it’s actually a blend of spices and you can find it in the spice aisle). Since Google knows all, it took only a few minutes to find some reasonable recipes that included actual names of spices I had heard of and might have lying around.

Today, we’ll start with the most kid-friendly Indian dish in the world: Onion Bhaji … aka onion fritters, onion pancakes or onion latkes for you layman out there. Made from red and yellow onions, these bhajis are a crispy, salty nugget of goodness that makes both kids and adults smile.

Don't judge my photos. I'm not a photographer people:)

It’s fried onions people – need I say more.  Pair it with a yogurt dipping sauce, butter lentils or some really great basmati rice (don’t worry, I’ll post these recipes someday), and I promise you’ll start thinking about delving into the seemingly confusing world of Indian cuisine. OK, maybe you have higher standards than me and won’t be seeking out your local hotel buffet, but believe me, this recipe will at least get you to consider it.

This recipe uses garbanzo bean flour (also called besan, gram flour, chickpea flour or cici bean flour), which can be found in most grocery stores. It’s fairly inexpensive – I spent less than $3 on the 1 pound bag I purchased. Check the gluten free section if you’re having trouble locating it in your store, or you can always buy it online or substitute all purpose flour if you have trouble finding it.

Onion Bhaji (AKA: Indian Onion Fritters)

1 yellow onion

1 red onion

2 cloves garlic finely chopped

2 tsp of ginger finely chopped

1 cup garbanzo bean flour

½ tsp turmeric

½ teaspoon garam masala

1 tsp chili flakes (adjust to taste)

2 tsp salt (adjust to taste)

1 cup water

1 tbls vegetable oil

Oil for frying

1. Cut onions in half and slice thinly. Separate the onions and place in a large mixing bowl.


2. In a different bowl, mix the flour, garlic, ginger and spices together.  Slowly add the water a little at a time until a loose batter forms.  You are looking for a consistency of a thin pancake batter.


3. Pour the batter over the onions and mix to combine.


4. Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. When your oil is hot enough for frying, drop spoonful of the onion/batter mixture into your pan.  Use the back of the spoon to spread the mixture out into a patty if needed.  Once browned, usually 2-3 minutes, flip the bhaji over and let cook for another 1-2 minutes. Salt to taste.

(If your oil is too hot, your bhaji will brown too quickly, so take care to keep your pan at medium or medium-low. Fry only a few at a time and never overcrowd the pan.)