Bajji Recipe (Aratikaya Bajji)

Bajji Recipe – Bajji is a kind of South Indian fritter made with gram flour, spices and a vegetable. The most common vegetables used are onion, plantain, eggplant, green chilies and sometimes leafy greens like spinach or betel leaves are also used. While Bajji and Pakoda both are South Indian snacks, the key difference between them lies in the batter consistency and the process of making.

About Bajji

In South India, we never use the terms Pakoda and Bajji interchangeably because they both are a lot different from each other.

To make Bajji, a thick gram flour batter is made first and the veggie is dipped into it and deep fried. Whereas a pakoda is made by mixing onions/veggies with the dry flour, spices and herbs. A small amount of water is added to bind the dry ingredients. It is not of batter consistency.

So bajji puffs up while frying and are not super crispy like pakoda but are slightly crispy. What is called as Bajji in South India is known as Bhajiya in other regions.

In this post I share my Mom’s recipe to make bajji. I use plantain (raw banana in India) but feel free to use any favorite veggie of yours. Cut the veggies to thin discs/roundels, dip them in the batter and deep fry.

Onions, plantain, eggplant, potatoes, beetroot, cauliflower, broccoli, betel leaves, and firm spinach are some options. These are best served with Coconut chutney or any spicy chutney like garlic chutney or cilantro chutney.

Plantain is called as aratikaya in Telugu. Hence the name “aratikaya bajji” for these fritters. Most Andhra restaurants would have these on their menu as a starter or a snack.

This recipe uses unripe green banana or plantain which is also widely used in Andhra and Tamil cuisines to make Banana fry & Banana curry.

My Mom would always stuff these bajji with fine chopped onions, green chilies and coriander leaves. Splashed with a dash of lemon juice to cut down the heat. These banana bajji are great to have with Churumuri on the side.

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Photo Guide

How to make Aratikaya Bajji (Stepwise Photos)

Preparation

For the quantities please scroll down to check the recipe card.

1. Add onion, green chili and ginger garlic (or ginger garlic paste) to a blender and pulse a couple of times.

2. Add very little water if required to make a paste.

3. Add flour, red chili powder, turmeric, ajwain (carom seeds), salt and baking soda to a mixing bowl.

4. On a medium flame, heat oil in a deep pan for frying. You can use about 3/4 cup oil.

5. Peel and slice plantain/ banana. Make sure the pieces are thin and of even thickness. Add them to a bowl of water.

6. Pour the paste from step 1 to the mixing bowl and mix well. Add enough water to make a medium consistency batter. It should not be too thick or too runny. If you make the batter too thick, it won’t coat or hold on to the banana. If you make it too runny, the batter begins to drip off the banana. Refer the pic below for consistency. Taste test and adjust salt.

7. Remove the sliced banana and add them to a colander. Ensure there is no water in them. Test if the oil is hot enough, by dropping a small portion of batter to the oil. It should sizzle and come up.

Fry Bajji

8. Regulate the flame to medium. Dip each slice in batter and drop gently in the oil.

9. Next avoid disturbing them for a few minutes (like touching with the spoon).

10. Fry till golden and crisp on a medium flame. Remove them to a colander or a cooling rack. If you want refry them once more to make them a bit more crisp.

Lastly, mix chopped onions, green chili, coriander, little salt and lemon juice. Make a slit on the aratikaya bajji and stuff them just before serving else they turn soggy. Serve bajji hot or warm with tea, coffee or with any chutney.

Pro Tips

1. Use firm and unripe banana. However you can also use soft or slightly ripe banana if you like the sweet taste.
2. Use good quality besan that is not rancid.
3. A small amount of rice flour has been used to give a crisp texture to the banana bajji. If you skip it , they will turn softer.
4. Batter consistency is the key to get crisp fried fritters. Do not make it too runny or too thick.
5. The onion and ginger masala is the key to flavor up the bajjis.

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Recipe Card

Aratikaya Bajji Recipe first published in June 2014. Updated in April 2023.