Healthy Vegetable Bhaji (spiced vegan fritters)
Crunchy veggies, curry, turmeric, and chickpea flour (can sub other flours) mix quickly into a simple batter full of fiber and protein. Once pan-seared or baked (versus the typical fried version), these healthy vegetable bhajis are crispy, so flavorful, and make a great vegan meal or side dish.
Servings: 4 or 16 patties
Calories: 301kcal
Ingredients
Bhaji batter ingredients
- 1 cup chickpea flour a.k.a. gram or besan flour- see notes
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp curry powder see notes
- 1 tsp ground turmeric see notes
- 1 tsp ground cumin see notes
- 1 tsp ground coriander see notes
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds black,white or mixture
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 garlic clove large or 1 tsp garlic powder
Bhaji vegetables
- 1 beet 1 larger or 2 if smaller-see notes
- 1 cup thinly sliced green cabbage
- 1 cup thinly sliced red onion can sub white/yellow
- 2 tbsp avocado oil or other flavorless oil- if searing-see notes
Lemon Curry Yogurt Sauce
- 1 cup plain, unflavored yogurt of choice soy, coconut, or dairy if not vegan
- 1 tsp ground turmeric see notes
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1 pinch of sea salt
Optional garnishes
- Micro greens or any herbs
- black sesame seeds
Instructions
Ahead of time:roast beet (optional-see notes) - 2 hours
- clean 1 beet, wrap in foil or place on pan and roast in oven for up to 2 hours at 350 (until fork can pierce to center of beet without too much resistance)
- Store beet(s) in fridge until ready to make bhajis or at least let cool enough to handle (30 minutes).
Make Yogurt sauce - 2 min
- Mix 1 cup plain, unflavored yogurt of choice, 1 tsp ground turmeric, 1/2 lemon, juiced, and 1 pinch of sea salt together and set aside for flavors to meld until serving.
Make the Bhaji batter - 15 min
- Whisk 1 cup chickpea flour, 2 tbsp cornstarch, 1/2 tsp curry powder, 1 tsp ground turmeric , 1 tsp ground cumin , 1 tsp ground coriander, 2 tbsp sesame seeds, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 1 garlic clove large minced (or garlic powder) altogether.
- Add 1/2 cup water and whisk to incorporate, forming bhaji batter. Set aside.
- Mix 1 cup thinly sliced green cabbage, 1 cup thinly sliced red onion, and beet(s) (raw or previously roasted). Mix altogether in small bowl (should be about 3 cups total)
- Toss the mixed veggies into batter with fork until veggies are coated. Reference photo of how coated veggie batter looks.
Cook bhajis option #1 - pan sear - 15 min
- Heat 1 or 2 tbsp 2 tbsp avocado oil in saute pan on medium high (see notes), until glistening.
- Form patties as you go, placing directly into pan (about 16 overall) using 1/4c batter per each. The patties will be a couple inches across and 1/4-1/2" thick. I fit 4 in pan at once, but depends on your pan/pattie size. Don't crowd patties.
- Cook patties for about 3-5 minutes per side, depending on heat, etc. until nicely browned on each side. Once done, remove and place on paper towel on plate. Now is the time to salt patties if desired (salt sticks to warm patties).
Cook bhajis option #2 - bake - 15 min
- Preheat oven to 450.
- Line sheet pan with parchment paper and brush with a bit of olive oil (or cooking spray), place patties on pan and brush tops lightly with oil or spray again. These tiny amounts of oil/spray help with browning.
- Bake patties for about 15 min, until browned, ideally flipping midway for even browning.
Serve
- Serve patties (either seared or baked) with yogurt sauce. Micro greens or any herbs and black sesame seeds make lovely garnishes.
Notes
Beets: I like to roast a beet or two and grate them. This gives the bhajis a nice mix of crunchy and softer veggies and a lot of flavor. You can sub raw beets, or use grated zucchini if you dislike beets. Use golden, chiogga or red beets. Any color is fine.
Chickpea flour: readily available in bulk bins or packaged (i.e. Bob's Red Mill) as chickpea flour or Besan (gram) flour. You can make these with another grain flour but they will not have the same nuttiness and full flavor. Typical veggie fritters will use all-purpose flour and eggs to form the patties, but these are vegan and distinct in their use of chickpea flour.
Oil for pan-searing: I add 1 tbsp of oil per batch of 4 patties. You can experiment with even less oil and still achieve a nice crispy brown patty if you are wanting to make sure they do not get too oily in taste.
Spices- in place of the listed spices, you can use 1-2 tbsp of my Versatile Curry Spice Mix for both the shredded veggie mix and the yogurt sauce.
Yogurt: if you use dairy greek yogurt, protein per serving of bhajis = 14g.
Nutrition
Calories: 301kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 497mg | Potassium: 537mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 165mg | Iron: 4mg | Magnesium: 85mg | Net Carbohydrates: 31g