The Big Bhaji Burger
We honestly can't stop making this one. There's something about stacking a crispy, spiced onion bhaji inside a burger bun that just feels like a genius move, and once you've tried it you'll wonder why you ever made bhajis any other way. The outside is golden and crunchy, the inside is soft and fragrant with cumin, coriander and ginger, and when you load it up with all the toppings it's messy in the best possible way. It's the kind of dinner that makes everyone at the table go a bit quiet because they're too busy eating to talk. Make it tonight, seriously.
Before You Start
- Large saucepan
- Pestle & mortar (or rolling pin)
- Metal spoon
- Plate lined with kitchen paper
- Deep-fry thermometer (optional but recommended)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tsp garam masala
- 3 tbsp plant-based mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp mango chutney
- 500ml vegetable oil for deep frying
- 2 red onions
- 6cm fresh ginger
- 1 red chilli
- 20g fresh coriander leaves
- 1 ½ tsp coriander seeds
- 1 ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 300g gram flour
- 200ml warm water
- 4 quality burger buns
- ¼ cucumber
- 1 large tomato
- 1 avocado
- 1 baby gem lettuce
- 1 poppadum(s)
- Pinch of salt
Method
First, make the bhaji mix
- Put the onion, ginger, chilli and coriander in a bowl
- Crush the coriander seeds and cumin seeds with a pestle and mortar or the end of a rolling pin
- Add them to the bowl with the gram flour, garam masala, water and a generous pinch of salt and mix until everything is well combined and covered with a wet, sticky batter
Then deep fry the onion bhajis
- Pour the vegetable oil into a large saucepan so that it comes no more than two-thirds up the side of the pan
- Heat to 180°C or until a wooden spoon dipped into the oil sizzles around the edges
- Divide the mixture into six and use your hands to mould it into patties about 9cm wide and no more than 1cm thick
- Use a metal spoon to carefully lower two of the patties into the hot oil and cook them for about five minutes, flipping them over halfway
- Remove the patties when they are golden and crisp and transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain any excess oil
- Repeat with the remaining patties
Prepare you burger fillings
- While the bhajis are frying, slice the burger buns in half and spread the bottom halves with vegan mayonnaise
- Thinly slice the cucumber and tomato
- Halve and carefully stone the avocado
- Scoop out the flesh, then slice finely
Serve and enjoy!
- To serve the bhaji burgers, lay a few lettuce leaves on the bottom of the burger buns and place the burgers on top
- Spread a little mango chutney on top of each, followed by slices of tomato, avocado and cucumber
- Break up the poppadom and sprinkle it over the top
Tips & Variations
- Get your oil hot enough: We find this works really well when the oil is properly up to temperature before you start frying. Drop a tiny bit of batter in first and if it sizzles and rises straight away, you're good to go. Too cool and the bhajis will be greasy and sad.
- Make them your size: Ian always shapes his bhajis to roughly match the bun so you get full coverage in every bite. Sounds simple but it makes a real difference to how the whole burger comes together.
- Sauce it up: We love this one with a big dollop of mango chutney and some cool yogurt-style sauce on top. The sweet and the spice together is absolutely the move. Henry always adds a bit of extra fresh coriander on top too, don't skip that.
Why This Works
The trick is getting the batter consistency right. It needs to be wet and sticky enough to hold the onion together in the oil, so don't be tempted to add too much flour. Crushing the whole coriander and cumin seeds yourself rather than using pre-ground makes a massive difference too, you get these little pops of flavour all the way through the bhaji that you just don't get from powder.