Aloo Bonda

“Raindrops are such funny things.
They haven’t feet or haven’t wings.
Yet they sail through the air,
With the greatest of ease,
And dance on the street,
Wherever they please”- Anon

No, it wasn’t raining down from the skies; neither was it pouring cats and dogs, nor did I see any sign of pitter-patter rain drops on my roof top! The weather however, was so conducive for rain…errr no, some hot deep-fried snacks! But, but, but…the Rain god seemed to be in deep slumber. So I decided to take things into my own hands and make it rain myself; only, it wasn’t raindrops…it was Mysore Bondas and Bread Pakodas! Believe me when I say I make deep-fried stuff so rarely, I really do mean it. Rare in my terms means once or twice a year…egad, yes! So when this sudden craving to eat some garma-garam bondas and pakodas got the better of me, I jumped into the task head-long before my mind took over to talk some sense into me…and by the time my brains realised what was happening, my heart had won this particular battle!! I think I’m already done with this year’s quota of deep-fried snacks, but don’t tell anyone yet…Shhhhh! 😉

Ingredients:

For the filling:

• Potatoes – 2-3 nos (pressure-cooked till soft)
• Onions – 1-2 nos (medium-sized; finely chopped)
• Green Chillies – 1-2 nos (finely chopped)
• Coriander/Cilantro – a fistful; finely chopped
• Lime juice – from 1 lime
• Turmeric Powder (optional) – a pinch
• Salt – to taste
• Asafoetida – a pinch
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Oil – 2 tsps

For the batter:

• Gram flour – 2 cups
• Rice flour – 1 tbsp
• Red Chilli powder – 1 tbsp (alter to suit your taste)
• Cooking soda – 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder – a pinch
• Salt – to taste
• Water – as required

Other:

• Oil – as required, for deep-frying the bondas

Procedure:

• First, get the filling ready. Heat oil in a wok. Pop the mustard seeds and add the asafoetida.
• Add the finely chopped onions and green chillies. Saute till the onions are cooked nice and tender.
• Add the turmeric. Stir well.
• Mash the pressure-cooked potatoes and add them to the wok.
• Add salt to taste, stir well and let it cook for 2-3 minutes on a medium flame.
• Remove from flame, stir in the coriander and lime juice (Remember to remove from flame before you can add the lime juice, else you’ll be left with bitter-tasting filling).
• Now transfer this filling to a wide plate and let it cool a bit before you can roll them into bite-sized balls and dunk them in the batter and deep-fry them.
• While the filling is cooling down, get the batter ready. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a considerably wide and shallow bowl.
• Add water little by little to make a thick batter (like idli batter consistency).
• Now, get the oil hot for deep-frying your bondas. Pour enough oil in a wok and let it heat up on a medium-high flame. It should take about 3-5 minutes, during which you can get your bondas ready.
• By now the filling should have cooled considerably. Make lime-sized balls by rolling between your palms and set on a clean, dry plate.
• Dunk the Aloo balls in the batter one by one. Don’t put all of them in, you wont have enough place in your bowl to cover the balls with batter. About 4-5 at a time should work just fine.
• Using 2 spoons, pour the thick batter over each ball to cover uniformly. You could even work with your hand here, but I prefer non-messy hands!
• By now, the oil in the wok should be hot. Reduce flame to medium, and gently dunk in the aloo bondas in with the spoon, one by one, in batches of 4-5. Don’t crowd the wok with the bondas, else they won’t cook properly. Patience does pay here!
• Fry the bondas till they turn evenly golden brown all over. Remove from oil and put them on tissues to drain off any excess oil. Repeat with all the bondas.
• Transfer to a plate, and enjoy them piping hot with coconut chutney or tomato ketchup. I served mine with tomato ketchup and a nice hot cuppa!

Boy, I wish there was someone to make this for me so I could enjoy them really hot…so hot that you’d have to huff and puff on them before you eat them and still manage to scald your tongue! That’s how hot I like my bondas..what about you? 😉