Spiced Chickpea Bhaji Rosti and Spiced Blue Pomegranate Jam
During our cooking brief in Ibiza last fortnight, we were reminded how much more luscious, big and juicy the fruit and veg were in the local supermarket, and the abundance of ripe-hot fruits in the verdant landscape were scintillating in Brexit Europe. We were excited to find the most stunning scented limes growing in our garden, abundant chillies - and three remaining Pomegranates on one tree… which we promptly used to add vim and vigour to our collective meal that evening - Emma’s delicious Spanish Bean Stew, which called for something on the side.
Here’s our instant recipe for a bhaji rosti with spiced blue pomegranate jam:
Cabbage and Onion Gram Flour and Out Milk Bhaji-Rostis
Quick Bhaji-Rostis
(Roughly measured from memory - to make 4)
For the Bhaji-Rostis; Shred/finely slice half of one large cabbage, grate one largeish potato, finely slice one red onion, slice up 1 fresh chilli and 4 spring onions, mix this together whilst tumbling through some fresh leaf coriander, a little salt and pepper a little grated ginger and the juice of one squeezed lime juice.
Make a thick batter (about the viscosity of whipping cream) by taking 400 grammes of gram flour, 1 heaped dessert spoon of mixed spices; including ground cumin, coriander, ginger, garlic, turmeric, chilli *300ml oat milk, spoonful of sunflower oil (depending upon quantity of oil in the oat milk)
Prepare a shallow pan with a generous 10mm depth of oil in its base, at a hot nearly full temperature on the hob
Take a hand full of the shredded cabbage/potato/onion mix and douse this in the thick chickpea flour batter mix
Carefully place this into the hot oil and press down into a 5 inch patty, approximately 1/2 an inch thick (or lets say 10cm x 1cm) Turn the patty using a fish slice after about 40 seconds - whilst getting a feel for when the bhaji/rosti is golden on both sides with the option of reducing the temperature right down/and turning again and again for a few minutes to ensure the patty is cooking through whilst remaining golden.
Each patty should cook for no longer than 5 minutes, whilst none of the ingredients can really undercook - being pea, fresh vegetables and oat milk, so that your feel will be fine.
For the spiced blue pomegranate jam
Set a way a pan with a little sunflower oil at about a 7 heat setting, Then;
Finely dice one large onion and add this to the pan, then 2 fresh chillies, then a grated inch-knob of ginger, the 2 cloves of garlic - finely sliced a couple of bay leaves and a few curry leaves - keep this stirred so as not to stick or brown and cook the mixture down for 10 minutes.
Next add the seeds of 2 pomegranates - our pomegranate seeds were actually yellow, but still sweet and juicy. Then add a cupful of blueberries the juice of 2 limes and several lime leaves, plus a pinch of sea salt
Keep cooking and stirring this as it becomes thick and jammy.
Yum Yum
