Vazhakkai bajji | How to make bajji

With Diwali around, only 2 days to go, why am I posting vazhakkai bajji ? Yes, we make Bajji on Diwali day. On Deepavali day, we don’t cook lunch. Its full of only junk foods like the snacks we prepare for diwali , sweets, along with idli, adhirasam, vadai and suzhiyan. No rice no cooking. So I thought of ending my posts for diwali with bajji. I love vengaya bajji the best, next is kathirikkai bajji and then vazhakkai bajji. My mom and MIL makes all bajjis assorted the day when ever they make bajji. And coconut chutney is the best accompaniment for this. I like it as such hot hot . So here is the Vazhakka bajji recipe (raw banana/ green plantain bajji).

Vazhakkai Bajji recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian  |  Recipe Category: Snack
Prep Time: 10 mins    |  Cook time: 15 mins    |  Serves: 3

Ingredients

Vazhakkai/ plantain - 1

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Besan/ kadala maavu - 1/2 cup

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Rice flour - 1/4 cup

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Corn flour (optional) - 1 tsp

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Cooking soda (sodium bi carb) - 3 pinches

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Asafoetida - 1/8 tsp

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Ajwain(omam) or jeera - 1 tsp

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Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

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Salt & water - As needed

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Hot oil (optional) - 1 tblsp

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Oil - for deep frying

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Method

1. In a mixing bowl, mix gram flour, rice flour, red chilli powder, sodium bi carb, asafoetida, salt, corn flour and hot oil if using, ajwain or jeera. Add water little by little and mix well with a whisk and make a thick batter. The batter should easily coat the vazhakkai, not too thick. 
2. Peel off the skin of the plantain with a peeler or if you are comfortable with a knife. Slice them thin or medium thick as you wish using knife or a slicer. Keep it immersed in water until use. Heat oil in kadai side by side. Take it out from water, drain the water as much as you can, dip and coat the vazhakkai and drop carefully in hot oil.
3. Fry them both sides until golden brown. Adjust the heat now and then to avaoid fuming of oil Also using the ladle keep pouring the hot oil over the bajjis as its getting cooked to make it puff nicely. Drain in paper towels.

Notes

• The batter should be in correct consistency so that it spreads over the vazhakkai easily and forms a thin layer. If the coating is too thick, i.e; if the batter is too thick, it will take time to cook and the bajjis inside will not get cooked.
  
• The thickness of the vazhakkai is purely ur choice, but make sure its not too thick, otherwise it will stay crunchy and not get cooked.
• Cook in medium flame to ensure the bajjis get cooked inside.
  
• Mix the batter and keep it ready, once the oil is hot, you can add a laddle full of hot oil carefully in the batter and mix. This is to avoid sucking of oil in the bajji.
• You can follow the same with readymade bajji mix. Aachi mix works best for me.

Enjoy the vazhakkai bajjis with your favourite Chutney and sambar.

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