Wild garlic and onion bhaji with wild garlic raita

Gill Meller

Wild garlic and onion bhaji with wild garlic raita

A delicious side-dish to enjoy with a homemade curry. Forage and make wild garlic and onion bhaji with wild garlic raita by following this easy recipe by River Cottage chef Gill Meller

Makes about 16 bhajis

Gill Meller

Published: March 1, 2023 at 12:16 pm

Gather the pungent leaves of wild garlic is make these delicious wild garlic and onion bhaji with wild garlic raita for a seasonal twist on a classic dish. Wild garlic can be eaten raw or cooked and added to pasta, tarts, salads, sandwiches or soups. Leaves appear in March and the flowers tend to emerge from April to June. Both are edible and can add a potent garlic punch to salads and sandwiches.

See our wild garlic guide for more information on foraging responsibly and other facts.

This recipe is vegetarian but can easily be made vegan by switching out the dairy cheese for a vegan alternative. This recipe is the perfect accompaniment to this Welsh Lamb Curry recipe.

Ingredients

  • 100g Chickpea flour
  • 2tsp Ground coriander
  • ½tsp Cumin
  • 1tsp Fine sea salt
  • 1tbsp Medium curry powder
  • A pinch of black onion seeds
  • 3–4tbsp Wild garlic leaves, finely ribboned
  • 1 Onion, peeled and sliced
  • 100–120ml Beer or water
  • Groundnut oil for deep frying
  • 150ml Whole yogurt
  • 1 Small cucumber, peeled and cubed into 1cm pieces
  • 1tbsp Fresh mint leaves, chopped
  • 1tbsp Wild garlic leaves, chopped
  • A pinch of flaky sea salt

Method

  • Step 1

    First, make the raita. Combine the yoghurt with the cucumber, mint and wild garlic and add the salt. Mix well and set aside.

  • Step 2

    To make the bhajis, combine the gram flour with the ground coriander, cumin, curry powder and salt in a bowl. Turn through the onion seeds, wild garlic and sliced onions. Stirring as you go, gradually pour in the beer or water until you have a nice and smooth, yet very thick, batter – you may not need all the liquid.

  • Step 3

    Pour the oil into a deep, heavy-bottomed saucepan to a depth of about 8-10cm and warm over a medium heat – you want the oil to be hot, but not too hot, because the onions and flour need to cook through without the outside of the bhajis burning – 165°C is perfect. You’ll need to cook them in batches, so don’t overcrowd the pan – drop large spoonfuls of the batter into the oil and cook until golden, about four to five minutes, turning once or twice. Drain on kitchen paper briefly and serve hot, with the raita alongside.

Gill Meller

Chef and food writer

Gill is a chef, food writer, author, food stylist, and cookery teacher who lives and works near Lyme Regis in Dorset.
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