Chilli bites (bhajia, dhaltjies) much like Pakoras are fried droplets made from a spicy blend of gram flour, coriander, shallots, fresh chillies, chilli powder and cumin. Unlike Pakoras which are created by taking one or two ingredients such as onion or potato and dipping them in a batter of gram flour, the South African chilli bites consist of  finely chopped onions, coriander and shallots combined with gram flour and spices. The result is a fuller, round appearance. Chilli bites are sometimes prepared using self raising flour (flour with added baking powder) but is best made using gram flour (chana flour). There are several variants, plain chilli bites or ones with a potato filling.

Chilli bites often featured in Amma's diwali parcels, as one of her contingency lunches or as my father's ‘bites’. Amma's chilli bites sometimes included finely chopped lettuce to accompany limited coriander. Like most fried foods Amma prefered using bicarbonate of soda rather than baking powder - to avoid what  she called  'oil soaked' chilli bites. This recipe is a basic chilli bites recipe - ideal as a savoury snack or a light meal.