Recipe Vortex

3cm ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

1 green finger chilli, chopped

2 tsp cumin seeds

salt

1kg brown onions

4 tbsp rapeseed oil

180g chickpea (gram) flour

40g fresh coriander, roughly chopped

½ tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp ground coriander

½ tsp ground turmeric

1 tbsp lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4 and line two baking trays with lightly oiled foil. Put the ginger, green chilli and cumin seeds into a pestle and mortar along with a small pinch of salt, bash to a coarse paste and leave to one side.

Peel and halve the onions, then slice them into 0.5cm half-moon shapes. Put the oil into a large frying pan over a medium heat and, when hot, add the onions. Fry for around 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they’re translucent and just soft enough to cut with a wooden spoon.

Put the onions into a bowl and add the ginger, green chilli and cumin paste, along with the chickpea flour, fresh coriander, chilli powder, ground coriander, turmeric, lemon juice and 11⁄2 teaspoons of salt. Mix thoroughly and, little by little, add up to 30ml of water, until you have a very thick batter.

Take a tablespoon of the mixture and drop it on to a tray. Repeat with the rest of the mix, leaving a couple of centimetres between each bhaji.

Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the bhajis start to crisp up and brown on top. Remove from the oven – you may need to gently lever them off the foil using a palette knife – and place on a plate alongside some chutney before devouring.