bhaji

noun

bha·​ji ˈbä-jē 

variants or bhajia

ˈbä-jē-ə 

plural bhajis or bhajias also bhajia

1

: an Indian food consisting of a small mass of chopped, battered vegetables that has been deep-fried

… the bulk of the bhaji should be onion, rather than dough.

—Felicity Cloake

On the street, outside the shop, a vendor was scooping out fresh bhajias from a wok.

—M. G. Vassanji

2

: a dish of Indian origin featuring fried or sautéed vegetables in a curry sauce

I sniff at the one-pot bhaji. Nothing too startling—potatoes, okra, some tomatoes, chick-peas; Mom doesn't believe in messing a whole bunch of pots.

—Rachna Gilmore

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Hindi, Marathi, or Gujarati bhājī "fried greens, greens, vegetables," going back to Middle Indo-Aryan (Prakrit) bhajjiā- "fried vegetables," derivative of bhajjia- "fried," going back to Sanskrit bharjita-, verbal adjective from the root of bhṛjjati "(he/she) roasts" — more at fry entry 1

First Known Use

1832, in the meaning defined at sense 1