Peyaji

If you are a nostalgia glutton, chances are, the mere mention of a steaming cup of Cha (milk tea) in a Bhaar (earthen pot) and Peyaji (onion fritters) conjures up the image of a rain-choked city, soaking wet officegoers crouching under decrepit buildings, wolfing down the last pieces of their evening snack before rushing back to their posts.

There’s something immensely comforting about the humble onion fritters that make them the choicest accompaniment for Cha all year round. Its pillowy soft centre bursts with jammy, caramelised onion pieces as the crunchy gram flour coating provides a sharp savoury contrast; each bite titillating all your senses.

This sinfully delightful dish is one of the many variants of pakora, a quintessentially Indian deep-fried snack that can be made with almost any type of seasonal vegetable, be it cauliflowers, pumpkin flowers, brinjals, chilli, plantain potatoes, or for our non-vegetarian gastronome, chicken or prawns.

While Peyaji has always ‘sold like hot cakes’ as a street snack, it has almost had a global reckoning in recent years owing to crowd-pleasing culinary contests. Peyajis have travelled from the rustic Indian kitchens and makeshift Thelas (stalls) to the plates of Masterchef judges with the elan of an international superstar.

Such is the prestige of Peyaji, a snack that was loved even by Subhash Chandra Bose. Legend has it that Bose was an ardent lover of Peyaji and would often get together with other freedom fighters at Lakshminarayan Shaw and Sons, a fritters shop in Kolkata’s Hatibagan area. Over the years, Bose developed a camaraderie with the shop owner, who also actively participated in exchanging information while delivering snacks and tea. To this day, the shop distributes Netaji r Peyaji on 23 January to commemorate his birth anniversary.

Early records indicate onions have been cultivated in the Indian subcontinent for over 5000 years. Since it did not require a specific climate or soil to grow and was convenient to store for months, there is evidence of this bulbous vegetable being widely grown by ancient civilisations in Central Asia and Egypt since around 3500 BC.

Although Peyaji and Muri (puffed rice) make the perfect Bengali evening snack bowl, in Anglo-Indian restaurants, onion fritters or Bhajis are consumed as a palate starter before the main course. It is usually accompanied by an acidic component, such as a sweet and sour mango or tomato chutney, or simply lime juice. Even with such a dominant presence in many Indian cuisines, the origin of this delectable snack is almost impossible to trace. Maharashtra has its version of Peyaji called Onion Bhaji, and in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, it is called Pakoda or Bajji.