Spinach Bhajiya

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

These tasty snacks go by many different names: bhajiya, pakoras, or even fritters. In my house they're known as "The Things to Quickly Throw Together when Unexpected Company Drops By". My mom could whip up a batch of these in minutes, masha'allah.

It was under her watchful eye (as she ran around getting the tea cups and plates ready for those unexpected guests) that she taught me how to make these family favorites. "Not too many onions", "more red pepper", "thats too much water!" and so on. Sure, its an easy recipe that requires dumping ingredients in one bowl and giving it a good stire. But theres a lot more intuiution involved: ration of spinich to batter, consistency, how large to make each bhajiya, etc. But thats the case with any recipe and I promise it won't take long for you to figure out all those details, especially if you end up making them as often as we do!

Spinach Bhajiyah
1 cup besan (gram flour)
1/2 cup frozen spinach, defrosted (don't drain, use the liquid to thin your batter)
1/2 onion, sliced or chopped to your liking
3/4 tsp garlic & ginger paste
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp red chili powder (or as much heat as you can handle!)
1 tsp salt (more to your liking)
water

1. Mix everything in one bowl and slowly start adding water, mixing after each addition, until batter is thick but can easily drop from a spoon.

2. In a frying pan, heat oil over medium heat and drop batter by the tablespoon. Allow to cook on each side at least 2 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove on slotted spoon and drain. Serve with a sweet imli (tamarind) or spicy chili chutney.