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Bajia

Deep-fried onion fritters made from a besan and all-purpose flour batter.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 13 ingredients
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Why it works: Onion and garlic match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 29,058 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓

Bajia

Ingredients

Directions

Make the batter

  1. Put all the ingredients, except the oil, in a large bowl and gradually mix with cold water to make a thick batter.

Fry and serve

  1. Heat oil in a frying pan.

  2. Drop spoonfuls of the mixture into the hot oil and fry on medium heat until golden brown.

  3. Drain on a paper towel and serve hot.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

632Calories
15 gProtein
15 gFat
108 gCarbs

Counts 7 of 9 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 7 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Ginger1 tsp grated fresh (2g)2
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Coriandernot in our table0
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  2. Coriander + gingertop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,505 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).

  3. Coriander + garlictop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together6,474 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  4. Ginger + garlictop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together6,402 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  5. Onion + gingertop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together7,595 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Chickpea flour (besan)
Forms the crisp, sturdy batter that coats the vegetables and fries golden.
All purpose flour
Adds gluten-based structure so the fritters hold together while frying.
Bicarbonate
Releases gas in the batter, helping the fritters puff slightly and stay light.
Onion
Adds moisture and sweetness that caramelises slightly during frying.

The step that matters

Frying in hot oil. If the oil is not hot enough, the batter absorbs oil and turns greasy; if too hot, the outside browns before the inside cooks. Medium heat gives an even, crisp result.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, coriander, ginger, garlic):

  1. Welsh onionfits better
  2. Broccolifits better
  3. Kalefits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against flour, coriander, ginger, garlic. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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