Spicy onion fritters - recipe

To make truly wonderful genuine onion bhajis from scratch needs certain ingredients which I don't usually keep in stock at home, but this vegetarian recipe is a delicious substitute that can easily be made from items I generally have in the cupboard and fridge.

These delicious fritters take only ten minutes to make and they are very easy to prepare.

We have these as a vegetarian dinner, with salad and mango chutney, although traditionally they are an Indian appetizer. They certainly make a delicious starter for any meal or are tasty as an accompaniment to any dish, particularly a curry.

They are also very good when served cold so this makes them a great choice for a buffet or it's a great idea to keep some in the fridge for a great anytime snack. I often double up on the quantities when we have these for dinner, just so we have extra fritters to eat as a tasty snack.

Once you have made the batter and onion mix for these fritters, you can keep it in the fridge for several days then all you need to do is quickly fry them and serve. Wow!

Photographs © BritFlorida.

These ingredients will serve two people as lunch or dinner when served with salad. These quantities make approximately six large fritters. I like to make a batch and keep them in the fridge as an anytime snack.

• 2 medium onions
• 2 tomatoes for salad
• 2 spring onions for salad
• 1 heaped teaspoon korma paste
• Flour for dusting
• Olive oil for frying
• Lemon & fresh coriander for garnish
• 1 recipe vodka batter - see below

The batter I use takes only seconds to make.

It's very light, fries quickly and is very crisp and tasty.

It's suitable for vegans or people who are excluding any animal products from their diet because most vodkas are suitable for vegans. (Do check in you're unsure. We use Smirnoff Red).

Oh, and note that the alcohol evaporates completely leaving no residue or taste. You can serve this to children without worrying about the alcohol content.

You need:

½ cup plain flour

½ cup vodka

1 teaspoon baking powder.

Simply whisk these together by hand (this is where a husband comes in handy) or in a blender / mixer.

Keep this in the fridge while you prepare the onions.

START WITH THE ONIONS

Put about an inch of water into a pan and set it to boil. Peel the onions and cut into short slices. The photograph above shows you that they don't need to be finely chopped, but in bite-sized pieces.

COOK LIGHTLY

Add the onions to the now boiling water. They only need to cook for a minute or so until they begin to so soft. Strain them in a sieve and run them under cold water until they are cool enough to handle.

MIX IN FLOUR

Place the onions in a small bowl and add the flour. About a tablespoon is all you need. Using a fork - or your fingers - mix the onion and flour together. The flour will stick to the onions but they don't need to be completed coated, as the photograph shows.

ALMOST THERE

Place a frying pan or skillet onto a high heat and add about ¼ an inch of olive oil.Take the batter mix from the fridge and stir in the korma paste. Once this is blended, add the onion. I add freshly ground black pepper too to give the fritters a little extra kick.

PREPARE THE ACCOMPANIMENTS

A simple salad adds to the nutrients of this dish and helps to clean the palate. Slice the tomatoes and clean the spring onions. You'll need a wedge of lemon for each serving, plus some fresh cilantro as a garnish and an extra Indian flavor.

FRY

Now that the olive oil is hot, drop spoonfuls of the batter / onion mix into the oil. I use quite a small frying pan, so do three at a time. When you add the mix, flatten the mixture slightly with a spatula, forming small 'cakes'. These will cook quickly so as soon as you see that the bottoms of the fritters are becoming golden, turn them to cook the other side. Once cooked, place them on paper towel to remove any excess oil. You'll find though that there is very little oil attached to the fritters because of the speed they have been cooked.

SERVE

Serve with the sliced tomato and onion, lemon wedges and fresh cilantro. I always have a jar of mango chutney handy too as this is a great condiment to serve with these spicy fritters.

Oh, these are so delicious - I'm making myself hungry just looking at the photograph!

Here's an idea - I do this regularly. I make double the quantity of batter (one cup flour and one cup vodka) and use half for this lovely recipe. I keep the rest of the batter in the fridge in a screwtop jar. Then I have it ready to make my mushrooms in vodka batter recipe - another delicious, quick and easy meal that takes no more than ten minutes to cook.

If you can't buy korma paste in your local grocery store, you'll find that it's available online. It's so useful for many recipes or for jazzing up plain dishes.

I find that this is invaluable in my kitchen so we often buy it in bulk - it keeps well.

Photographs © me and as homemade as dinner.