maru bhajia recipe with step by step photos – crispy and tasty potato bhajia recipe. maru’s bhajia is a famous snack that is served by maru restaurant in nairobi in kenya.
basically these are crisp potato fritters or pakoras made with spiced gram flour batter. these tasty potato fritters are famous there and sell like hot cakes. there are many quick snacks which are made with potatoes like aloo pakora, french fries, potato wedges etc and this is one such quick and tasty snack.
the recipe of maru’s bhajia was shared by a dear reader meveera in one of her comments. she had also shared the recipe of maru’s bhajia chutney made with tomatoes. i made a few changes and tried the bhajia recipe a couple of times and it was good, so thought of sharing with all readers. i will also share the chutney recipe in some time.
you can make these potato fritters as an evening snack during the monsoons. serve these crisp potato bhajia with any chutney like pudina chutney, coconut chutney or coriander chutney or dip or maru’s bhajia chutney.
few more pakora recipes for you!
potato bhajia recipe
INGREDIENTS FOR potato bhajia recipe
- 300 grams potatoes OR 8 small potatoes OR 3 to 4 medium sized potatoes OR 2 cups sliced potatoes
- 1.5 cups besan (gram flour)
- 2 to 3 green chilies - chopped
- ¼ cup coriander leaves - chopped
- 1 inch ginger - finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- salt as required
- oil for deep frying
HOW TO MAKE potato bhajia recipe
making maru na bhajia batter
- in a mixing bowl take 1.5 cups besan (gram flour), ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves, 2 to 3 green chilies (chopped) and 1 inch ginger (finely chopped).
- add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder and salt as required.
- mix everything very well. keep aside.
- rinse and then peel 3 to 4 medium sized potatoes. thinly slice them. you will need 2 cups sliced potatoes. add the sliced potatoes to the besan mixture. slice potatoes thinly, but not as thin as we make for wafers.
- now add 2 tablespoons lemon juice.
- just mix everything and keep aside for 20 to 30 minutes.
- after 30 minutes, in case the batter has become moist and stuck to the potato slices, then no need to add water. if the bhajia mixture has some dry floury besan in it, then sprinkle a bit of water (about 1 to 2 tablespoons). mix very well.
frying maru na bhajia
- heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or pan.
- when the oil becomes medium hot, test a small potato slice. if it comes up steadily and gradually on top, then the oil is hot enough. if it comes up too quickly the oil is very hot and if it settles down at the bottom, the oil is not yet hot.
- now coat some of the batter clusters on the potato slice. do not coat the whole potato slice with the batter. add in oil and begin to deep fry.
- when one side is light golden and crisp, turn over and fry the other side.
- flip again. this way deep fry the potato slices till they are crisp and golden in medium hot oil.
- once done, remove with a slotted spoon and drain the excess oil.
- place the potato bhajiya on kitchen paper towels. fry all the potato slices this way.
- serve maru na bhajia with any chutney or dip of your choice.
RECIPE TIPS
- you can add ajwain and asafoetida (hing) if you want in the batter.
- for a gluten free version, use gluten free asafoetida.
- slice potatoes thinly, but not as thin as we make for potato wafers.
- for a spicy version, you can add some red chilli powder or increase the number of green chilies.
- you can also add some garam masala powder if you want.
how to make crispy potato bhajia recipe
1. in a mixing bowl take 1.5 cups besan (gram flour), ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves, 2 to 3 green chilies (chopped) and 1 inch ginger (finely chopped).
2. add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder and salt as required.
3. mix everything very well. keep aside.
4. rinse and then peel 3 to 4 medium potatoes. thinly slice them. you will need 2 cups sliced potatoes. add the sliced potatoes to the besan mixture. slice potatoes thinly, but not as thin as we make for potato wafers.
5. now add 2 tablespoons lemon juice.
6. just mix everything and keep aside for 20 to 30 minutes.
7. below pic of the potato mixture after 30 minutes. mix again.
8. in case the batter has become moist and stuck to the potato slices, then no need to add water. if the bhajia mixture has some dry floury besan in it, then sprinkle a bit of water (about 1 to 2 tablespoons). mix very well. the consistency of the mixture should be like the pic below.
9. heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or pan. when the oil becomes medium hot, test a small potato slice. if it comes up steadily and gradually on top, the oil is hot enough. if it comes up too quickly the oil is very hot and if it settles down at the bottom, the oil is not yet hot.
10. now coat some of the batter clusters on the potato slice. do not coat the whole potato slice with the batter. add in oil and begin to deep fry.
11. when one side is light golden and crisp, turn over and fry the other side.
12. turn over again when the second side is done. this way deep fry the potato slices till they are crisp and golden in medium hot oil with a slotted spoon.
13. once done, remove with the slotted spoon and drain excess oil.
14. place the potato bhajiya on kitchen paper towels. fry all the potato slices this way.
15. serve maru na bhajia with any chutney like mint chutney or mint coriander chutney or tomato sauce or with maru’s bhajia chutney.
Can u freeze the bhaji as
avoid freezing.
yes dassana. love your take on it. infact i’lll be making these soon. thank u once again.
thanks meveera. glad that you liked the recipe. do try and do give feedback on how the bhajiyas turned out and thanks again for the recipe.
Hi Dassana!🙏❤️
hello meveera. thanks to you. i hope i have done justice to your recipe 🙂