ZA classic: chilli bites
Traditionally eaten during Ramadan, these magnificent fritters have their origins in Indian cuisine, but have their own place in South African culture. We’d like to make a case for eating them year-round, as a side for soup, a starter before a curry, or as a snack with a tomato-and-onion salsa The family recipe: Art director Faranaaz Rahbeeni’s chilli bites
“I only started making chilli bites when I got married. I got this recipe from my mother-inlaw. I make these maybe 20 times during the month of Ramadan – my one sister-in-law makes them every day! By the time Eid comes around, I don’t want to see another chilli bite, even my hair smells like chilli oil. But they’re a great-value dish – for what you put in, you get a lot of flavour back. We always eat them with a chopped tomato, onion, chilli and lemon juice salsa.”
Makes 25–30
EASY
GREAT VALUE Preparation: 10 minutes Cooking: 30 minutes
chickpea flour 240 g self-raising flour 70 g baking powder 3t ground cumin 1T ground coriander 1T ground turmeric 1t leaf masala 1T cumin seeds 1t salt 1t medium tomato ½, chopped medium onion ½, chopped green chilli 1, chopped spinach 1 cup, chopped sunflower oil, for frying chopped onion, for serving tomato, for serving chilli, for serving lemon juice, for serving
1 Mix the dry ingredients. Remove a tablespoon and set aside, then add the remaining ingredients. If the batter is too wet, add the tablespoon of dry ingredients. The batter shouldn’t be too thick or you’ll end up with stiff chilli bites – aim for the consistency of a flapjack batter. 2 Heat the sunflower oil to the same temperature you would for frying chips. (Too hot and your chilli bite will be raw inside, too cold and it will absorb too much oil.) Test one and cook for 3–4 minutes. Cut open and check if it’s cooked through. 3 Once you’re happy with the oil’s temperature and cooking time, drop teaspoonfuls of batter into the hot oil and fry in batches until brown all over – about 3–4 minutes. Don’t cook too many at a time or the bites will stick together and you’ll lose the crispy texture. Drain on kitchen paper and serve with chopped onion, tomato, chilli and lemon juice. Cook’s note: Flash-fry any leftovers to re-crisp.
The chef: André Hill
Chilli bites are more commonly seen on takeaway menus, but at fine-dining restaurant Upper Bloem in Green Point, Cape Town, you’ll find a somewhat fancier version. “I grew up eating chilli bites – we called them dhaltjies – they were always around,” says André. He serves them as part of the bread board at Upper Bloem – with a choux pastry base and fermented kale. “My very good friend Aabida Davis came for lunch and totally ripped us to pieces. ‘You can’t put kale in them, that’s not proper!’ she said. It was really important to her because her gran was the master at making dhaltjies.”
ANDRÉ’S TIP FOR GETTING THEM SPOT ON? “Try and make them from scratch, if you get the chance, try to learn from the actual masters, those with experience of where things came from.”
The food blogger: Naqiyah Mayat
“Chilli bites, a.k.a. bhajias, are a THING in my home. They’re made as the doorbell rings when people visit, from pot to table!”
Naqiyah adds fennel seeds, sweetcorn and potato, and serves hers with lemon wedges, chilli sauce, or green mint chutney. She also drops in the batter by hand. “You can use a spoon if you prefer, but I feel more confident when I’m able to feel the batter and know where I’m positioning it.”
NAQIYAH’S TIPS FOR
GOOD CHILLI BITES:
Prepare the batter in the morning and add the baking powder a few minutes before a final mix and fry.
Use a deep non-stick pan to fry your bhajias. The wider the surface area, the easier it is to fry a few at a time, and you won’t need to fry in too many separate batches. I prefer a non-stick pan because the bhajias seem to rise to the surface quicker and don’t stick to the bottom in such a way that you need to loosen them with a spoon to get them to bounce around.
If you are preparing the bhajias for adults, chop in large chunks of chilli
(if you’re able to withstand the heat).
To know if you’re achieving the correct consistency in the batter: it should be firm enough to hold in your hand before dropping it into the oil. If it’s too runny, the bhajias won’t hold together. Also, try to incorporate the baking powder well to achieve an almost foamy texture in the batter. You can allow the batter to stand for 15 minutes once you’ve added the baking powder to get this consistency. Find Naqiyah’s recipe for bhajias at taste.co.za.
Try and make them from scratch and learn from the masters”