CARROT, ONION, AND SPINACH BHAJIAS WITH MANGO CHUTNEY

Carrot, Onion, and Spinach Bhajias With Mango Chutney image

Provided by Anjali Pathak

Yield Makes about 12 bhajias and 1⅔ lb chutney

Number Of Ingredients 25

For the mango chutney:
4 large soft ripe mangos, about 2½lb once you've peeled and pitted them, chopped into small bite-size pieces
3½ cups light brown sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp kalonji (black onion or nigella) seeds (optional)
3 dried red chiles, ripped so that the seeds can fall out
2 tbsp peeled and julienned fresh ginger
2⅓ cups distilled malt vinegar
⅔ cup bourbon
Good pinch of salt
For the bhajias:
Vegetable oil, for frying-you won't need more than 1 quart
2 carrots
1 large red onion
1¼-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled
Good handful of spinach leaves, roughly chopped
1 red chile, finely chopped
2 tbsp roughly chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
½ tsp ground asafetida/hing (optional)
Juice of 1 lemon
Good pinch of sea salt
¾ cup gram (chickpea) flour

Steps:

For the mango chutney:
Mix all the ingredients together in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and boil for 40 to 45 minutes. It should thicken and be quite syrupy.
Pour into a sterilized canning jar while hot. Seal the jar, allow to cool completely, then move to a cool place and leave for a week. This will give it time to mature. It should keep for around 3 months.
For the bhajias:
Pour vegetable oil into a large, deep-lipped skillet so that it comes 2 inches up the sides. Gently heat it while you prepare the bhajia mixture. Alternatively, heat a deep-fat fryer to 350°F.
Grate the carrots, onion and ginger using a cheese grater. Transfer them to a large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Scrunch all of the mixture together with your hands to release the moisture from the veggies and help it bind together. If you need to, add a few tablespoons of water-you want it to be a dropping consistency. Shape the mixture into balls of around a tablespoonful each before flattening them a little, which allows them to cook all the way through so that they don't end up with a doughy center.
Add a little of the mixture to the oil to test if it's hot enough: it should sink and then swim. Deep-fry the bhajias, in batches if you need to, for about 5 minutes until they are golden brown. You will need to flip them a few times to get an even color. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot with mango chutney or your favorite dip.