Clean, peel, and cut the celeriac. Use a sharp knife to remove the small finer roots near the base of the celeriac and use a vegetable peeler to remove to soft brown skin. Next cut the celeriac into bite sized cubes.
1 large celeriac (celery root)
Fry celeriac until golden brown. Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter/oil/ghee in a large fry pan or a wok until melted and add the chunks of celeriac. Salt well to help draw out the moisture. Fry for 15-20 minutes stirring occasionally until the outsides begin to turn a crispy golden brown.
4 tablespoons butter/oil/ghee, salt and pepper
Make a well and cook the spices. Once the celeriac has browned, use a spatula to push the pieces to the edge of the pan to make a well, revealing the bottom of the pan. Melt remaining butter and add the panch phoran and turmeric to the hot butter to fry for approximately 1 minute, or until he whole spices begin to pop. 4 tablespoons butter/oil/ghee, 1 tablespoon panch phoran whole spices, 1 tablespoon turmeric
Fry onions, garlic, and ginger. Add the onions, garlic, ginger and hot chilies. Stir to combine and continue to fry until the onions begin to turn a crispy golden brown, approximately 8-10 minutes. Add more butter/oil/ghee as needed to fry the bhaji.
1 small onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon ginger root, salt and pepper, 2 whole red/green hot chilies
Garnish and serve. Before serving, drizzle with fresh lemon/lime juice, and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.
4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, 2 tablespoons lemon/lime juice