Any Slimming World member who goes to group will know the deal with taster nights, where everyone takes something to put on the table and recipes and so on are shared. I’m not a natural chef, so my offerings have in the past included cherry tomatoes purchased from the Co Op on the way there, and, when I’ve felt like pushing the boat out, boiled eggs. However, I have decided it’s time to make an effort. A while back I read a recipe for Slimming World onion bhajis and they seemed like my kind of thing, for a variety of reasons. (The main one being that they only have 4 ingredients, the other that I really do love curry so being able to make it more Slimming World friendly sounded like a good plan.)
Having made them once, I have tweaked the recipe slightly as the original called for boiled sweet potatoes, which made the whole thing rather sloppy even after draining and produced inedible onion pancakes. This recipe makes around 24 small bhajis, or 12 larger ones.
You will need:
1 large or 2 small-medium sweet potatoes
1 can of chickpeas, drained
1 large or 2 small-medium onions (red or white)
Curry powder of your choice
Method
Pre heat the oven to 200°C (180°C if it’s a fan oven).
Prick the sweet potatoes with a fork and microwave them for 5-6 minutes (until they are soft). Meanwhile, finely slice the onions and fry on medium heat until they begin to soften. Add 2 heaped teaspoons of curry powder to the frying pan and mix it in with a spatula (don’t lean over the pan, otherwise you will end up with a face full of curry powder steam and it’ll make you cry).
Remove the onions from the heat and peel the sweet potatoes. As they are soft, one long slit along the length of the potato should just allow you to pop it out of the skin quickly and easily. (Tip-let them cool for a couple of minutes after removing from the microwave, unless you have asbestos fingers.)
In a bowl, mash together the sweet potato, drained chickpeas and the curried onions. At this point, give it a little taste and add more curry powder if required. It doesn’t need to be mashed into oblivion, just enough to combine the ingredients well but leaving a few chickpeas semi whole. It won’t look pretty at this stage!
Using a large teaspoon, make balls of the mixture and place them on a baking tray. (Use your hands if you’re feeling brave!) Spray them lightly with Fry Light and bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until they are golden. If you want crispy bits likes on ‘proper’ bhajis, bake them for a few minutes longer. Allow them to cool and then serve them up with your favourite Slimming World curry recipe (or one of the Iceland curries, or just take them to taster night and impress your fellow slimmers!)
I took a photo of the last remaining bhaji at the end of the taster session, so apologies now for the rubbish photo.
These are about as close as you’ll get to a proper bhaji without deep frying, but I guarantee they are tasty. This is the second time I’ve made them for a taster session and I had to make twice as many as last time they went really quickly. They’d also make pretty good grown up party food, I’m planning on taking some for our picnics in the summer. The best part of it all is that they are completely free on Slimming World.
Let me know if you try them!
Thanks for this, I have made them with potato but they fell apart easily. Going to try this next time. I hate taster night lol. x
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Lol, it’s hard when you don’t know what to make. I think the sweet potato must just be extra sticky. x
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I had to look up what Slimming World is 🙂 It sounds like it is kind of like the Weight Watchers program here in the states; with some definite differences. Congrats on finding a recipe that’s easy for you and sounds delicious as well.
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Thanks, it’s a good back up one. We have weight watchers too but there’s no local group. There are definitely differences between the two plans!
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These look interesting! It’s sort of like a mini ball of curried bubble and squeak, without the butter to fry it in the pan and fried egg on the side. It also reminds me of the good old fattening pakora (deep-fried curry bubble and squeak, really, with peas). I’m going to try this out.
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Lol at the bubble and squeak. They’re quite nice because they are baked rather than fried, well worth a go if you’re having a curry night.
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ooh, they look yummy and I’m going to try them when it’s cool enough to turn the oven back on!
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It was a but warm for cooking them today Lol!
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These sound delicious. I’m not on slimming world but always looking for ways to make healthier. Thanks for the recipe.
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*healthier food! 😆
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Lol, I knew what you meant 😊
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Hope you like them 😊
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Oooo I love Onion Bhajis so I think I’ll definitely give these a go. 😊 Plus with them being healither is an added bonus. 😊 Xxx
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Thanks, they are super easy! x
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Ooh I love Onion bahjis. These sound lovely, and a great way to sneak veg into His Lordship
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Indeed, if you were feeling brave I think peas would work well in these too!
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Yum! I love slimming world bhajees ( think I’ve spelt that wrong), my recipe is slightly different but I’m sure it must taste just as good. I was only thinking the other day that I must do some again soon. I’ve never had a taster night at my group tho! Think I should complain to my consultant xx
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Definitely cause for complaint lol! How do you do your bhajis?
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I think it’s a sweet potato, one red & one white onion, a beaten egg & tbs curry powder. You grate the sweet potato, fry the onions in fry light, then combine everything together and spoon onto baking parchment to make little mounds. Bake in oven for about 20 mins. Yummy 😋
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They sound nice, I might give them a go for a change. Thanks 😊
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I tried them yesterday and bigger balls made a great starter. Next time I will add more fry light on top to try and crisp them up a bit more. Thank you for sharing – we all need a bit of inspiration and variation.
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Thanks for trying them and letting me know, I found I had to bake larger ones for much longer too, as I like them crispy as well. Glad you liked them!
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Sounds so very tasty, and loved your added tips for none crying and to keep your fingers from being burned lol.. 🙂
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Brilliant idea! Definitely gonna try this!
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