Mug Chora na Bhajiya/ Bajia Za Kunde/ Vatidar Na Bhajia/ Dar na Bhajia, are made from husked Chora dal (Black Eyed Peas/Cowpeas) and Mung dal (Split Mung beans) ground into a semi smooth paste with green chilies and sometimes ginger, and fried into fritters.

If Mum was making them she would refer to them as ‘Mug Chora na Bhajiya’, if we were sending a helper to pick them up from a Tea room we would ask them to get the ‘Bajia za Kunde na chatne cha nazi’, if the grannies were making them they would call them‘Vatidar Na Bhajia’ (vatidar in Gujarati means ground lentils), ask my MaaIl and say would say “Daar na Bhajiya”. 

Believed to originate from the Kutch region of India, they made their way to the coastal towns of East Africa (also referred to as Bhadala bhajiaya so named after the Bhadala Muslim community from Kutch); these are made with a mix of  two lentils- the husked Chora dal (Black Eyed Peas/Cowpeas) and Mung dal (Split Mung beans) which are soaked overnight then ground in a meat grinder to get a semi- smooth paste with green chilies.  Some cooks add ginger or garlic as well. 

Before frying the paste is mixed with a bunch of chopped cilantro and sometimes finely diced onions. They differ from the dal pakoda/ vada or mangode from streets of Mumbai India which are made solely from Mung dal or a mix of chickpeas (chana dal) and other lentils.

My Mum used to grind these using the hand-cranked machine which was bolted to a kitchen table with a hand screw, she would run the lentils three times through the grinder, the final time was with the green chilies.  Mum and grannies never used onions, or methi leaves,  and they always used the husked lentils not whole. 

Over the years I have started to make them using whole black eyes peas and add the finely diced onions to get that street food taste. 

My Mum’s trick to getting soft, fluffy and spongy bhajiya is to aerate the batter by beating it vigorously before frying every batch.

Ingredients:

{2:1 ratio of Chora ni Dar and Mug ni dar}

• 2 cups Whole Black eyed peas (or split with skin on – also known as Chora ni dal)
• 1 cup Mung Dal –  (split with the skin or you can use the hulled skinless yellow).
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 5 hot Thai green chilies (or more if you like heat)
• 1 cup of chopped cilantro 
• 3 tsp salt (1 tsp. salt per cup of lentil) or to taste
• Neutral oil for deep frying

Optional ingredients:

• 2 tsp finely chopped fresh fenugreek leaves/ methi (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. garlic paste
• 1 tsp. ginger paste

Method:

• Rinse and soak the black eyed peas (split with skin or whole) with 3 cups of water overnight.
• Rinse the split mung dal (with skin) a few times then soak the lentils with 3 cups of water overnight.

• Next day, wash the lentils and rub the lentils to loosen the skin, they will float to the top and sieve out as much as you can without losing the lentils, some skin will stay on, and that’s absolutely fine, as that is what makes these fritters crispy.
• Drain lentils in a colander but don’t dry them out completely.
• Using a food processor, grind the lentils together to make a semi-coarse mixture. Don’t add water, just make sure the lentils are moist and not dry, if absolutely necessary, then add a teaspoon of water at a time to get the mixture moving along ( you can also use the meat grinder attachment and run the lentils through three times to get the right texture)
• When the mixture is half ground, add the Thai hot peppers (and ginger and garlic if using)
• Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and add the salt and chopped cilantro (and methi leaves if using).
• Then add the diced onions and salt.
• Heat oil in a wok or karai on medium heat
• Stir the batter vigorously for a few minutes to aerate the batter and using a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop or a teaspoon to lift up small amounts of  batter ( or using your fingertips) and gently drop them into the hot oil.
• Don’t overcrowd the fritters, and give yourself room to flip them over.
• Deep fry on medium heat until golden brown and crispy
• Transfer to a tray lined with paper towels.
• Serve bhajiya’s with coconut chutney, green chutney or with Urojo (Zanzibar mix)
• Fry some whole green chilies as a garnish ( pierce them with the tip of a knife before frying so that they don’t burst) fry for about two minutes then remove them and salt them.

NOTE:

You can store the ground lentil mixture in the freezer for up to two weeks. Thaw at room temperature before forming the fritters.