Name: Brussels sprouts bhajis with raita
Total time: 30 min
Yield: Serves 4 as a starter
Ingredients: 200g gram flour; 25g plain flour; ½ tsp ground turmeric; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 1 tsp black mustard seeds; ½ tsp sea salt flakes, plus extra to serve; 200-250ml sparkling water, chilled; 200g brussels sprouts, shredded; 1 green chilli, halved, deseeded and thinly sliced; 1 onion, finely sliced; for deep-frying vegetable oil; 150g greek yogurt; ½ cucumber, halved, seeds scraped and grated; 1 lemon, juiced; a handful mint leaves, shredded; crushed to make ½ tsp black peppercorns

200g gram flour
25g plain flour
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black mustard seeds
½ tsp sea salt flakes
plus extra to serve
200-250ml sparkling water
chilled
200g brussels sprouts
shredded
1 green chilli
halved, deseeded and thinly sliced
1 onion
finely sliced
for deep-frying vegetable oil

RAITA

150g greek yogurt
½ cucumber
halved, seeds scraped and grated
1 lemon
juiced
a handful mint leaves
shredded
crushed to make ½ tsp black peppercorns

Method

step 1
Tip the flours, spices and salt into a large bowl and slowly whisk in enough sparkling water until you have a thick batter. Stir in the sprouts, chilli and onion, and mix really well until they’re fully coated.
step 2
For the raita, tip all of the ingredients into a bowl with a little seasoning and mix well.
step 3
Fill a pan no more than 1/3 full with oil and heat to 180C or until a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds. Take a heaped tbsp of the batter and carefully drop into the oil and fry for 3-4 minutes or until golden and crisp. Drain onto kitchen paper and sprinkle with sea salt flakes. Put into a low oven while you fry the rest. Serve with the raita for dipping.