MANGALORE BONDA - GOLI BAJE

Recipe for crispy deep fried South Indian Karnataka Mangalore Bonda / Goli Baje - Bajji. This Maida bonda made with curd can be put together in minutes.

INGREDIENTS

1½ cups All purpose flour / Maida

¼ cup Rice flour

1 teaspoon Salt

¼ teaspoon Asafoetida

1 teaspoon Crushed Pepper

1 tablespoon finely minced Ginger (1 inch piece)

2 sprigs Curry leaves, finely chopped

¼ cup chopped Coriander leaves (about 10 stalks)

2 Green Chillies, finely minced

1 tablespoon Sugar

1.5 - 2 cups Yogurt

¼ teaspoon Baking Soda

Oil for deep frying

INSTRUCTIONS

Measure 1.5 cups of all purpose flour / maida and ¼ cup of rice flour. This little amount of rice flour helps in crisping. Add in the salt, asafoetida and crushed pepper.

Add in very finely minced ginger, finely chopped curry leaves, finely chopped coriander leaves and finely minced green chillies. I also add a tablespoon of sugar. This small addition of sugar helps in browning of the bondas. Add in 1.5 cups of yogurt / curd and beat well to form a smooth batter. 

Add more yogurt if necessary to form a thick batter. Keep beating for couple of minutes until a very smooth, thick batter is formed. Rest the batter for 30 minutes up to an hour.

Once the batter has been rested, add in ¼ teaspoon of baking soda and mix thoroughly. It should be a thick batter.

Heat oil in a kadai until medium hot. Add a small piece of the batter to check if the oil is ready. The oil is ready if the batter floats immediately to the top. If not wait for a minute more. Add in small scoops of the batter to the oil when the oil is ready.

Keep turning the batter balls so the batter cooks evenly on both sides. I use a fork to turn the batter. It works so well. Deep fry until its golden. Remove and drain on paper towels.

This Mangalore Bonda has to be served hot. It loses its crispness when it cools.

Banana buns or sweet poori

Sweet banana pooris or mangalore banana buns as they are known is a recipe from mangalore in Karnataka. The banana pooris or buns recipe is easy and simple to make. The dough has to be kept for about 3 to 4 hours at room temperature. I generally prepare the dough in the night and usually these buns are made with maida.

I make these mangalore buns both with whole wheat flour/ atta or all purpose flour/maida or half-half of both. The buns made with whole wheat flour taste good and have a texture similar to a poori. the buns made with all purpose flour also taste good and have a soft fluffy texture from within.

The recipe also works well with over ripe bananas. The amount of sugar can be adjusted as per taste and the sweetness of the bananas. If you have ripe bananas at home then you can also think of making eggless banana bread and banana chocolate cake.

These sweet banana pooris can be had as a breakfast or even as a snack. They make a delicious breakfast. Generally we have them plain with the morning tea. But you can have them with some milk or even coconut chutney if you like.

Step by step banana pooris or mangalore banana buns recipe:

1. In a mixing bowl, take the chopped banana and sugar. The sugar helps in the mashing of the bananas very well. You can also just puree the bananas in a blender and then add sugar. The bananas have to be mashed well.

2. The banana puree is ready

3. Add whole wheat flour/atta, yogurt, salt, baking soda, ghee/oil and cumin powder. first add 1 tbsp yogurt and knead. if the dough looks dry then only add more 1 tbsp yogurt more and continue to knead.

4. Mix and then knead into a dough. the dough will be slightly sticky. so while kneading you can apply some ghee/oil in your hands and knead. if the dough becomes very sticky, then add some whole wheat flour and sugar accordingly. the quantity of yogurt required depends on the type and quality of flour. i used 2 tbsp yogurt to knead the dough.

5. Keep the dough covered in a bowl for 3 to 4 hours at room temperature or refrigerate the dough overnight or for 7 to 8 hours.

6. Lightly knead the dough the next morning or after you have kept it for 3 to 4 hours.

7. Take small to medium sized balls from the dough. Dust the rolling board with flour and roll into round pooris with medium thickness. don’t make the pooris thin.

8. Shake off the excess flour from the rolled poori and slid each poori into medium hot oil and fry the pooris till they are puffed and golden. Take care that the poori does not break, otherwise it absorbs oil.

9. Remove the banana buns/pooris with a slotted spoon and drain on paper napkins to remove excess oil.

10. Serve the banana buns, hot or warm plain or with milk or a cup of tea of coffee.

Pathrode or Patra

Patrode or Patra is a seasonal dish in Malnad. This will be prepared in the rainey season. It is made from colocasia leaves (taro, kesuve or arbi) stuffed with rice flour and flavourings such as spices, tamarind, and jaggery (raw sugar).

“Patrode” is a portmanteau word consisting of two words “Patra” and “Vade”. "Patra" means leaf in several Indian languages, and “Vade” means a dumpling.

Preparation

A spicy batter is made by grinding rice, tamarind, and red chilli. This batter is smeared on the colocasia leaves, which are rolled and steamed, and tamarind is added; the steamed rolls are then sliced. The patrode may then be smeared with coconut oil, ghee or honey, or served as patrode masala (with chili-based gravy). Another variant is patrode idli, where the leaves are chopped and mixed into the batter, which is then poured into an idli (steamed dumpling) maker.

Precautions

Eating partially cooked patrode may cause itching in the throat, which may last for a few hours. Using coconut oil or ghee on the slices may avoid itching in the throat. An immediate remedy for the itching is to drink sour buttermilk (curd) immediately once the itching starts. This may not be required if the slices are further cooked with gravy.

The itching comes from microscopic needle like raphides of calcium oxalate monohydrate, which may not be fully removed from the leaves. Regular dietary ingestion of oxalates may contribute to kidney stones.

Side Effects During Pregnancy:

Eating Patrode during First Trimester is not suggested as it might cause Abortion

During second or Third Trimester ,Eating Patrode can increase the body heat which may result in reduction of Amniotic Fluid.Hence to be eaten in less quantity

How to prepare Pathrode

This is bit lengthy process and the ingredients mentioned here is enough to serve 4 people.

Ingredients to prepare pathrode:

·         Raw rice 1cup

·         Colocasia leaves 7 to 8

·         Coconut scrapings 1 to 2 cup

·         Salt as per your requirement

·         Red chilies 7

·         Coriander seeds (Dhania) 2tsp

·         Jeera Seeds (Cumin seeds) 2tsp

·         Mustard seeds (methi seeds) 1 to 2 tsp

·         Urad dal (black gram dal) 1tsp

·         Jaggery 1tsp

·         Tamarind – small lemon sized

Method to make pathrode:

·         Soak the rice for at least 2hrs

·         In the mean time, wash the colocasia leaves

·         Overturn the leaf and just slightly scrap the thick veins which is clearly visible with a clean knife

·         Now gently was it

·         Keep it aside for a few minutes so that the water gets drained off.

·         Now grind the rice along with the coriander seeds, red chill, jeera seeds, salt, jaggery, tamarind and dry roasted urad dall and fenugreek seeds to a smooth texture by adding as little water as possible so that the batter resembles that of idli batter.

·         Now overturn the leaf so that the rougher surface is facing above.

·         Slightly smear the ground batter on the leaf and roll it slowly as shown.

·         Place it in the cooker and boil for around twenty minutes without placing the weight.

·         When it cools, remove it from the cooker and chop these boiled leaves roll into small pieces with a knife.

·         Finally fry the rolls in the oil.

Halasinakayi happala/Jackfruit papad

Ingredients: 1.       1 medium sized ripen raw jackfruit/ halasinakayi 2.       6 tsp of Corinder seeds 3.       1 tsp carom seeds / ajwain seeds / oma. 4.       1 tsp cumin seeds 5.       10 red chilies 6.        5 to 6 springs of curry leaves 7.       ¾ tsp asafetida powder 8.       2 sep black pepper 9.       ¼ cup sesame seeds. 10.    Salt to taste and oil

How to prepare

Wash the jackfruit and place them in a pressure cooker. Add salt and steam cook for 20 min. Grind the cooked jackfruit into smooth paste.

Dry roast the ingredients in a low heat.

Powder it in a mixer.

Mix the powder to the jackfruit paste

Apply little oil on your hands and make tomato sized balls from the prepared paste.

Apply little oil over the two plastic sheets and place the prepared jackfruit paste ball in between plastic sheet. Give a little pressure while pressing.

Now your papad/happala ready.

    

Note:  A Multipurpose Roti/Pappad maker can be used flat the prepared paste


Some other useful products:

SKY Products Puri Press Roti/Khakhra Maker

RBJ Puris Roti/Khakhra Maker

Malnad Food - Jack Fruit Idli

Jackfruit Idli or Mudde is common in Malnad area of Karnataka. It can be had for breakfast or as evening snack. One can also have it as a desert after lunch/dinner.

For making Jackfruit Idili you need these ingredients.

Jackfruit ( fully ripped ) – 15-20 bulbs

Grated coconut 1  cup

Jaggery – as required

Idli Rava – 2 1/2 cup

Banana leaves ( optional )

Method

Blend jackfruit, grated coconut and jaggery to a coarse batter. Take this batter out of blender and mix idli rava into it.  Add water to the batter only if required and make sure the batter is of thick consistency. Below image gives an idea of the consistency of batter after adding idli rava.

Make rectangular pieces of  banana leaf  ( around 10×12 cm ). Put a large dollop of batter into the middle of the leaf and spread it such that the thickness is about 1/2  inch. Fold the leaf into half and place these folded leaves into a steamer. Cook it for 15-20 minutes.

PS : If you don’t have steamer you can instead use a pressure cooker without the whistle. Instead of banana leaves, you can fill the batter in the idli cups and steam.

100 Ruchikaravada Sakahara Phalyagalu