Maru Bhajia (Crispy Potato Bhajia) and Chutney Recipe

Prepare the crispiest potato bhajia, inspired by the original Maru na Bhajia from Nairobi, Kenya. Thin potato slices are coated in a spiced gram flour batter then deep-fried until crispy.

I've also included the recipe for the special Maru's tomato garlic chutney.

Note – this post was originally created and posted on 9th June 2010, since updated with new content and pictures, the recipe remains the same.

My Mum first tried this dish back in the early 90s at a family friend’s house who my Dad knew well. They had all grown up in East Africa together. She asked the lady who was making them for the recipe as she loved it so much. Since then, it's become I, my brother's and my dad's favourite snack.

Maru bhajia are hands down the definition of a crowd-pleaser recipe. Anyone who tries them is sure to become hooked!

Essentially, they are crispy potato bhajia made with a gram flour and green chilli-ginger batter. Rather than Indian style potato bhajia, the flours and seasoning are sprinkled directly on the sliced potatoes. The moisture from the potatoes binds the batter to give a thin yet flavourful coating.

The special spicy batter is unique to the Maru Bhajia House in Kenya. Their other speciality is a special tomato garlic chutney that is tangy and spicy! Perfect for scooping up with the large round bhajiya.

Complete your East African snack thali with sakoni style chilli paneer, chilli garlic and lime mogo chips and kenyan chevdo.

Ingredient highlights

1. White potatoes – use a mandolin or food processor to get evenly sliced and thin potato slices. Try to use the same sized potatoes to get similar sized slices. Even thickness potato slices will cook perfectly at the same rate and all pieces will be crispy. I find that Jacket Potatoes work well because they are big and round but any all-rounder potatoes will work too.

2. Gram flour - aka besan/chickpea flour. Just use the fine variety for this recipe.

3. Rice flour – The trick is to use rice flour which helps keep the bhajia crispy. The rice flour also soaks up a lot of the moisture released from the sliced potatoes, again keeping the bhajia crispy.

4. Green chilli and ginger paste - I use fresh for the best flavour.

5. Ajwain seeds/carom seeds – the addition of this spice gives the batter a wonderful flavour.

6. Coriander - fresh chopped coriander leaves.

Tip - Using less batter makes them crispy. Too much batter coating the potatoes will be spongy and not the correct texture for these bhajiyas.

How to make Maru Bhajia Step by Step Method

The recipe is straight forward and fool-proof but definitely gets you a long way!

First prep the potatoes:

I find all similar sized potatoes and use those for even sizing.

Wash and peel the potatoes. Then either using a sharp knife or a mandolin, slice into thin rounds. I like to use the mandolin for ease and even sized slices.

Spread out the potato slices into a large bowl - this makes it easier to coat the potatoes with the batter.

The batter:

Sprinkle over the gram flour, rice flour, green chillies and ginger, ajwain seeds and coriander. Go easy on the flours as you can add more as you go.

Next I like to massage the potatoes with the flours and seasoning. This draws out the moisture from the potatoes and helps form a thin coating. Once all potato slices are coated, set aside for 10-15 minutes so that the potatoes will keep releasing moisture.

Add salt and mix again.

Frying:

Next heat the oil in a frying pan or kadai, aiming for medium heat. Wait until the oil is hot before adding the bhajiya slowly into the pan.

Deep fry on medium to low heat until the batter slowly turns golden and crispy. Remove from the oil gently with a slotted spoon.

You will need to fry the bhajia in batches to give them room to fry.

Maru Bhajiya Chutney Ingredients & How to make it

In Nairobi, Kenya they served and are still serving these Bhajia with coconut chutney, but here in London, they serve with this tangy tomato chutney.

• 1 cup plum tomatoes (tinned)
• ½ cup carrot
• ¼ cup cucumber
• 3 tablespoon coriander
• 1 tablespoon ginger
• 1-2 tablespoon green chillies
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 2-3 tablespoon lemon juice
• optional – 1 clove of garlic
• salt to taste

Method: Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender -use the natural juice of the vegetables to blend the chutney otherwise it will be too runny. Add salt to taste.

Note – blending is the quick method to make this chutney. Due to blending all of the vegetables, the chutney takes on a more green colour. To avoid this happening, I usually grate the carrot, cucumber and tomato to keep it looking more red.

Note – adding carrots and cucumber is optional. You can also make the Maru Chutney with only tomato. Garlic is also optional but IMO so, so good!

As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!

Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can't wait to see you all there!

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Pinterest
• YouTube