Spicy Bhajias , and relishing the monsoon ~ Mixed veggie fritters

What's monsoon without Pakoras / Bhajiyas (deep fried fritters), I wondered ?.. So, while the rest of the globe goes through a summer, most parts of India experience monsoon during June - Sep, which is actually the seeds sowing season for the farmers , and hot snacks and munches for those of us who dont have to till the spoil(well, literally). Its every foodie's delight and childhood memory also , perhaps to have savoured hot steaming and spicy bhajias in every household / food cart and we didnt want to miss out on that joy :-) Which is exactly why we actioned out making these spicy fritters this late afternoon

So, mom and me (who were incidentally celebrating a long weekend ALL by ourselves, having packed kiddo and S out) , decided to indulge in some treats , and the unanimous decision was for a mixed bhajia platter. An occassional indulgence is worth the wait, and this time we didnt even wait to add the ketchup (or make any green chutney) - off the pan it went into hungry and eager mouths, accompanied by steaming cups of green tea / milk tea respectively for me and mom :-) Pure bliss !!

Sending this to Krithi's event : Serve it Fried and Denny's announcement and also to Sukanya's Monsoon Medley


You might also enjoy these monsoon treats :

Fried Moong Dal | Tasty Snacks (Haldiram Style)

Masala Murmura

Mirchi Bajji / Menasinakaayi Bajji / Molaga Bajji

Prep time : 10 mins. Cooking / Frying time : 15 mins. Serves : More calories than your waistline can take :-). The following ingredients makes 10 - 15 medium sized bhajiyas.

Ingredients:
Besan / gram flour - 1/2 cup
Rice flour - 4 TBSP
Salt - to taste
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Asafoetida / hing - a pinch
Ajwain / carrom seeds - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Green chillies (minced) - 1 or 2 (opt)
Veggies - sliced in the size of more than a wafer thickness
(You may use potatoes , onions , capsicum, chow chow, brinjal , raw banana - or a combo of these too - ensure uniform thickness of all veggies)
Oil - to deep fry
Method:
1) Sieve besan and rice flour well together in a bowl.
2) Heat the oil in a deep bottomed pan.
3) Add salt, turmeric, ajwain, asafoetida and chilli powder (and chillies if using) to the dry flours and mix well.
4) Add 2 -3 TBSP of the hot oil to the dry flours and mix well. Add water little by little to make it a dropping consistency (refer the pictures in my earlier post  - Mirchi bhajji)
5) Dunk the sliced veggies in the batter and slide them into the hot (but not smoking) oil
6) Flip the bhajias / fritters on both sides till a golden colour is seen
7) Drain on a paper towel and serve hot with ketchup / green chutney (we couldn't wait that long :D)