Monsoon Special – Aloo Pyaaz Bhajiya (Pakoras)

In monsoon rains, more than about their partner, everyone fantasizes about deep-fried pakoras & a hot cup of chai. Tell me if I am wrong 😀 Although I always look for baking solutions for everything that’s deep-fried but this is one recipe which we always prefer deep-fried. Reason – extra crispiness. You don’t get that in oven-baked pakoras.

So this rainy season, cut some potatoes and onions and let them shower in the hot oil. In short, make this aloo pyaaz bhajiya (potato and onion pakoras). If you want some non-fried monsoon recipes, try our broccoli & zucchini fritters, non-fried vada pav, and crispy moong dal falafel.

Story Time

I always loved the rain and I found a partner who loves to get soaked in the rain as much as I do. We are in our mid-30s and even today if it rains heavily, we take out our cycles and go out for a ride. It refreshes and recharges you and brings such easy joy and happiness. And after getting all drenched, when you take a shower, change to dry clothes, make chai and bhajiyas (pakoras or kanda-batata bhajiya), and sit, it feels calm and relaxing.

We have a sofa that faces the large window of our living room. You can have a pleasant view of nature while sitting on it. So, last time when we had our rainy cycle ride when we came back home and made pakoras and chai, we sat on that sofa. We were enjoying the view and that calmness. And that time, we moved to our new home and had minimum lights. We did not have any light in our living room. We were getting light from the street and that barely minimum yellow light from the street is kind of romantic. What do you think? We sat like that for hours, chatted so much, and shared so many childhood stories until I started feeling a little cold and we moved to the bedroom to get cozy in the blanket ;P

That day impacted both of us in a way that we decided to have soothing yellow lights in our living room. Every time we sit together for chit-chats, we dimly switch on the yellow light and have a peaceful evening together. We even talk about when our parents will visit us and we will have the same experience with them with some hot cup of chai.

Tips To Make Crispy Pakoras

1. Quantity of Besan (Gram Flour): Add besan in parts – 2 Tbsp at a time. Mix and add more until the veggies are well coated. We need a thin layer of besan on the veggies. If the layering is thick, it will cover the veggies and you won’t get crispy pakoras.
2. Thinly Sliced Veggies: How you cut the veggies is important. They should not be thick or very thin.
3. No Water: Do not add any water to make the mixture. It will get enough moisture from the onion and potatoes. If it feels dry, just wet your hands and mix.
4. Wet Mixture: As much as the mixture rests, it keeps releasing moisture. You may end up with a very wet mixture. To prevent that, you can add some flour. But there is a limit to it. Adding more flour won’t give you extra crispy bhajiyas. Hence, cut more onions and potatoes and add them to the mixture.
5. Oil Temperature: The oil for frying should be hot. To test, just drop a little bit of mixture into the oil and if it forms bubbles and comes up on the surface, it means the oil is ready for frying. If the oil is too hot, the pakoras may burn, if it is not hot enough, the pakoras will absorb more oil and you will end up with oily pakoras. You won’t like them.

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How to cook pakoras?

1. Deep Fry: This results in the crispier pakoras. There is no match for it. But since these are deep-fried, they have more oil in them. If you want to use less oil, try the below methods.
2. Shallow Fry: This needs much lesser oil and tastes good. It will have fritters or patty-like shapes and textures. You can check out the broccoli & zucchini fritters recipe to know how this can be done.
3. Bake: This needs a bare minimum to no oil. Simply set the oven for preheating at 200 C, top bottom setting. Bake until they are golden brown. This method is perfect for those who can not have oily food at all but still have some monsoon cravings.

Easy Swaps

1. Veggies: You can make it with just onions or potatoes. You can even add other veggies of choice like cauliflower, cabbage, capsicum, etc.
2. Poha or Rice Flakes: You can skip adding it. It will still make crispy pakoras.

Is this recipe Vegan?

Yes. This recipe is vegan. All the ingredients used in this recipe are plant-based.

You must try these vegan recipes from our collection: Tomato Pesto Pasta, Vietnamese Summer Rolls, Mushroom Sauce Pasta.

Can we store the pakoras mixture?

I am afraid that storing the mixture will release a lot of moisture from the veggies and the mixture will become thin and watery. You won’t be able to make pakoras from it.

That’s why always add salt to the mixture when you are ready to deep fry them.

How to serve aloo pyaaz bhajiyas?

You can serve these pakoras or bhajiyas as is with some tea or coffee. Or you can also serve these with the following dips or chutneys:

1. Seasoned Hung Curd – Add some salt, pepper, and coriander to the hung curd. Mix and it is ready.
2. Tomato Ketchup
3. Coriander Mint Green Chutney

More Recipes To Try

1. Mixed Veg Tehri
2. Raw Mango Dal Rasam
3. Maharashtrian Misal Pav

Now grab all the ingredients because you are ready to make this monsoon treat at home. Enjoy it with your family or serve it to your guests, it is perfect for any occasion or mood. If you try this recipe & like it too, please share the photo of your creation on Instagram and tag us @thefearlesscooking. We just love to see your recreation of our recipes.

Happy Cooking 🙂

Love from us

Richa & Jatin