Bread and Dill Pickle Bajji

 Bread and Dill Pickle Bajji

        Indians are very fond of eating hot steaming snacks all round the year, even during summer months. It is always accompanied with a cup of hot chai. There is no particular time to consume snacks. We will happily eat them with our mid-morning coffee as well as with our evening chai and any time in between. If an unexpected guest shows up at our home, we will quickly whip up some hot snacks, especially bajjis, in just fifteen minutes.

         Bajjis or Fritters are a very popular snack item in India. They are basically thinly sliced vegetables coated in a spicy chickpea flour batter and fried. Sounds simple, right? They are easy to make and delicious to eat. They should be eaten hot and fresh along with hot masala chai (spiced hot tea). This is one food that can be found both on the streets as well as in posh restaurants. There are different variations to bajjis but the one standard ingredient is chickpea flour.

          In Southern India some Bajjis are made with fruits instead of vegetables. The most common fruits used to make bajjis are ripe Plantains and ripe Jackfruit. The batter used to dip fruit bajjis is usually made with plain flour.

        

         In this recipe I have used baby dill pickles. They are not a traditional ingredient for bajji but when I tried, they turned out great. If you are not fond of pickles this recipe may not be for you. My daughter loves breaded and fried pickles and she loved this bajji as well. If you prefer more batter to pickle ratio, you can slice the pickle vertically into two pieces and dip each half in the batter and fry.  

Ingredients:

• Besan (Chickpea flour) 1 cup
• Chili powder 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder 1/8th tsp
• Chaat masala 1/4 tsp(optional)
• Asafoetida powder, a pinch(optional)
• Salt to taste
• Baking soda, a pinch(optional)
• 6 to 8 baby dill pickles
• 4 to 6 slices of bread
• Water to make besan batter
• Oil for deep frying the bajjis

Method:

• Cut each slice of bread into four pieces. Dry the pickles thoroughly with a paper towel. You can slice the pickle vertically into two halves if you like.
• 
  Mix the spices and baking soda, if using, with the besan. Add enough water to make a batter. The batter shouldn't be too thick nor too thin. Dip a piece of bread in it. If it slathers on thick, that means the batter is too thick. In that case add a little water to thin it. If the batter slides off the bread and does not stick too well, that means the batter is too thin. then add a bit more besan flour. 

• Keep the batter aside and heat enough oil in a deep pan on medium heat.
• Add a drop of the batter into the oil. If the batter rises to the top, the oil is at the right temperature.
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•  Dip each piece of bread in the batter and carefully drop it into the hot oil. Add only a few pieces of bread into the oil at a time.
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  Fry one side until it turns golden brown, then flip it and fry the other side. Remove from oil.
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• Repeat with the pickles. Dip each baby pickle or half if sliced, in the batter and drop it into the oil. Keep turning the pickles so all the sides are equally fried. Fry until golden brown. Remove from oil.
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• Enjoy with ketchup.

Notes:

1. Dry the pickles thoroughly. Otherwise, the batter will not stick to the pickles and oil will start splattering as soon as they hit the hot oil.
2. The oil should be on medium heat. Very hot oil can burn the bajjis outside while the inside will still have raw batter. If the oil is on low heat the bajjis will absorb too much oil.
3. Cut the bread in any shape or size you like. Do not use sweet bread. Use only plain bread or sourdough.
4. The batter should be at the right consistency. It should be thinner than pancake batter but not so thin that it slides off the bread or pickle when you dip them.
5. If you do not have baby pickles you can slice the large ones vertically into quarters. 
6. Most importantly, do not overcrowd the pan. You want the bajjis to fry up nice and crisp.
7. You can reheat bajjis at a low temperature in the oven for a few minutes.

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Bread and Dill Pickle Bajji  Bajjis or Fritters are a very popular snack item in India. They are basically thinly sliced vegetables coated in a spicy chickpea flour batter and fried. Sounds simple, right? They are easy to make and delicious to eat. They should be eaten hot and fresh along with hot masala chai (spiced hot tea).  There are different variations to bajjis but the one standard ingredient is chickpea flour.  In this recipe I have used baby dill pickles. They are not a traditional ingredient for bajji but when I tried, they turned out great.  Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 50 minutes Makes:4 to 6 servings INGREDIENTS: Besan (Chickpea flour) 1 cup Chili powder 1 tsp Turmeric powder 1/8th tsp Chaat masala 1/4 tsp(optional) Asafoetida powder, a pinch(optional) Salt to taste Baking soda, a pinch(optional) 6 to 8 baby dill pickles 4 to 6 slices of bread Water to make besan batter Oil for deep frying the bajjis `Method: Cut each slice of bread into four pieces. Dry the pickles thoroughly with a paper towel. You can slice the pickle vertically into two halves if you like. Mix the spices and baking soda, if using, with the besan. Add enough water to make a batter. The batter shouldn't be too thick nor too thin. Dip a piece of bread in it. If it slathers on thick, that means the batter is too thick. In that case add a little water to thin it. If the batter slides off the bread and does not stick too well, that means the batter is too thin. then add a bit more besan flour.  Keep the batter aside and heat enough oil in a deep pan on medium heat. Add a drop of the batter into the oil. If the batter rises to the top, the oil is at the right temperature.  Dip each piece of bread in the batter and carefully drop it into the hot oil. Add only a few pieces of bread into the oil at a time.   Fry one side until it turns golden brown, then flip it and fry the other side. Remove from oil. Repeat with the pickles. Dip each baby pickle or half if sliced, in the batter and drop it into the oil. Keep turning the pickles so all the sides are equally fried. Fry until golden brown. Remove from oil. Enjoy with ketchup. NOTES: Dry the pickles thoroughly. Otherwise, the batter will not stick to the pickles and oil will start splattering as soon as they hit the hot oil. The oil should be on medium heat. Very hot oil can burn the bajjis outside while the inside will still have raw batter. If the oil is on low heat the bajjis will absorb too much oil. Cut the bread in any shape or size you like. Do not use sweet bread. Use only plain bread or sourdough. The batter should be at the right consistency. It should be thinner than pancake batter but not so thin that it slides off the bread or pickle when you dip them. If you do not have baby pickles you can slice the large ones vertically into quarters.  Most importantly, do not overcrowd the pan. You want the bajjis to fry up nice and crisp. You can reheat bajjis at a low temperature in the oven for a few minutes. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------