Kenyan Potato Snacks: Potato Bhajias

This is an appetizer or snack that shows the Indian influence on the food culture of Kenya, although such a recipe as I have done here would not be out of place in India, where there are a number of terms used for this dish, including "aloo bajji" and "aloo pakora" (aloo=potato). This dish uses chickpea flour, a common flour used in cooking within the Indian subcontinent, and which has passed into the Indian influenced cuisines of other areas of the world.* Chickpea flour, also called "gram or besan flour," is gluten free.

There are two key things about making this potato snack. First, the batter cannot be too thin, nor can it be too thick. When I first made this, I made the batter too thin and it didn't adhere to the potato slices, so I had to thicken it up. The next time I made the batter, I added 1/2 cup of the water and mixed it in, then I added more water slowly, mixing it into the other ingredients as I went. That way I was able to tell how thick the batter was and I could then add an appropriate amount of water to achieve a kind of pancake batter thickness. Second, if you slice the potatoes too thick, it will be hard to cook the potatoes through without burning the coating. Some people don't make a batter, but rather they mix the chickpea flour together with some herbs and spices, but with no liquid component, except that the potato slices are rinsed and left damp. They then add the potato slices and toss them through the flour mixture to coat them and then fry them. I tried this method, but I didn't find the potatoes to be as good as with the batter. 

Ingredients (about 4 to 5 servings):

2 potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick
2/3 cup chickpea flour, also called gram flour
1/4 cup rice flour, or you can substitute 3 tablespoons of cornstarch 
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 heaping teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
2 to 3 serrano peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (also called coriander)
2/3 teaspoon salt
2/3 to 3/4 cup water
oil for frying

To a bowl add the chickpea flour, rice flour or cornstarch, ground cumin, ginger, garlic, chili peppers, coriander/cilantro and salt. Add 1/2 cup water and mix until it is absorbed. Gradually add more water, stirring to mix, until the batter reaches the consistency of slightly thick pancake batter. Let the batter sit while you heat the oil to 350 F over medium heat (you can use a deep fryer, or you can use a skillet with a minimum of 1/2 inch of oil. Naturally, you'll need to turn the potatoes to make sure they cook and brown properly. Add the potatoes to the batter and transfer the slices individually to the hot oil (I just do it by hand, no spoons, forks or tongs), and let them cook until browned, turning the slices. The potatoes should have a kind of crispy outside. You can drain the potatoes on paper towels. Serve with tomato chutney** or ketchup.   

* Kenya came under British control in the latter part of the 1800s, initially as part of the "East African Protectorate," then later as an outright "colony." This brought a number of immigrants to Kenya from India, itself a British colony at that time. In those times, India included what later became the separate countries of Pakistan and Bangladesh.

** For Kenyan Tomato Chutney, here is the link: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2020/03/kenyan-tomato-chutney.html


With tomato chutney ...

WORD HISTORY:
Colony-This word is closely related to "culture," a word borrowed by English from Latin, and it is the source of the name for the German city "Cologne" (German: Köln), which long ago was a Roman settlement. It goes back to Indo European "kwel," which had the notion, "move around, to turn or turn around;" thus also, "upend, revolve." This gave Latin "colere," meaning, "to till the land" ("move and turn the land over for planting"); thus by extension, "to cultivate, to farm;" thus also by extension, "to settle, to dwell." This produced the Latin noun "colonus," meaning, "settler, farmer;" thus also, "tenant farmer." This then gave Latin the noun "colonia" meaning, "settlement, large amount of cultivated land;" thus, "an estate," then also used for "land conquered, settled and occupied by Roman soldiers beyond Rome." This then broadened beyond the military settlement by soldiers. Borrowed by English circa 1400.