Well-traveled food

I first experienced bhajia in Mombasa, then as pakora in India, and then as dhaltjies in Durban. I love finding food that has traveled from one continent to another and in one bite recognizing a taste of the original with a new twist you maybe weren’t expecting but find just as pleasurable.

These bhajia, stuffed with broccoli and cauliflower, are really just another variation on the theme.  I ran out of garbanzo bean flour and wondered what would happen with canned chickpeas.  You can pan fry or deep fry them if you want that street food feel, but since the ingredients are so healthy to begin with, it seems a shame to coat them in oil.

I can never decide which chutney I like better, so I usually end up dipping one side of the bhajia in a cilantro mint chutney and the other in a tamarind date chutney.

A toma-what?

A decade ago I didn’t have a clue what a tomatillo was, but it didn’t matter.  That bright, tangy, spicy sauce adorning my first chicken enchilada had me hooked at first bite.  Then I saw them, hidden within their papery husks, at the local farmers market and I just had to try my hand at recreating it.

Roasted Salsa Verde

Try it on these dairy free Chicken Enchiladas!