Kelly Rossiter
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Last year's Academy Award nominated films had plenty of food references, which gave the idea for the series in the first place. This year the food references are a bit thin on the ground, so I'm having to stretch a bit, but this is all in good fun.
Having just seen Slumdog Millionaire, I thought I would make some street food. I got this recipe from Classic Indian Cooking by Julie Sahni, an elegant Indian woman more used to writing about food for Moghuls than slum dwellers. However, I know that onion bhajis are found everywhere, and Sahni says that they are the most common appetizer in all of India.
I've now seen three of the five films nominated for Best Picture and Slumdog Millionaire seems to be heading for the prize. Despite some graphic scenes in the film, this is actually the most conventional story of the nominees I've seen so far. The setting may be Mumbai, but the story is a pure 1930's Hollywood rags to riches love story, complete with a sweet, incorruptible leading man. Maybe that's what so appealing to our contemporary recession worried movie goers. Personally, my favourite part was the Bollywood dance number played out behind the credits at the end.
If you want to serve onion bhajis for your pot luck party, you can make them in advance and then heat them up in the oven, because who wants to be frying in the kitchen instead of watching the Oscars? These were absolutely fabulous and very easy to make. The trick is to keep the oil hot enough so that they don't get soggy, but low enough that they don't get too brown on the outside before the onion is cooked through. It's pretty much like making potato latkes, which is what they resemble. I had some sweet lime pickle that we dipped them into, but any kind of chutney you like would work. Beverage of choice: Masala chai.
Onion Bhaji
1 cup unsifted chick-pea flour
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1-2 green chilies, seeded and minced
1/2 cup warm water
2 medium sized onions, thinly sliced
peanut or vegetable oil for frying
- Sift flour into a large bowl. Add the 2 teaspoons of oil. Stir in cumin, salt, and chilies. Add water in a thin stream, constantly beating the mixture with an electric mixer, a wire whisk or your hands. The batter should be very thick and smooth. You can also put the ingredients into a food processor or a blender and process until very smooth.
- Beat the batter vigorously for 10 minutes or until it turns pale, light and fluffy. Cover the bowl and let the batter rest in a warm place for 1/2 hour.
- When the batter is ready, add sliced onions and mix thoroughly. The mixture will look coarse and lumpy.
- Heat the oil until hot but not smoking. Gently drop the onion batter in 2 tablespoon sized amounts into the oil. Let them cook without turning for a few minutes to keep them from breaking apart. Cook, turning once or twice until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove bhaji from the pan and drain on paper towels. Cook in batches until all of the mixture is finished.
Adapted from Classic Indian Cooking by Julie Sahni.
Difficulty Level: Easy
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