Goli Baje| Mangalore Bhajji | Mysore Bonda with Coconut Chutney

If you have been following me on social media, particularly on instagram where I share many memorable events in my life, you would know that my brother just got married to one of the best girls on earth. And after we were done celebrating the wedding, Hari and I spent a few days more at my parents home and then we proceeded to Bangalore to spend some time with Hari's paternal grandparents too.

And while I was in Bangalore, my lovely friend Rushina who is always filled with so much positive energy and the most amazing ideas, called me to be a part of the special menu being curated in Soda Bottle Openerwala outlets across Mumbai to celebrate #ChaiPakodaDay. For the uninitiated, Rushina is the pioneering person behind all the Indian food days that have been making the waves on social media. So, we have had #AamAchaarDay #BadiPapadDay #BiriyaniDay and as recently as yesterday #ChaiPakodaDay, with more food Indian food days in the pipeline.

This is a wonderful way to celebrate the homegrown rich traditional recipes that somewhere down the line have been pushed to the side with the seemingly more alluring food that is making its presence felt in our lives today. But these recipes, which are deeply rooted in our culture can never go out of style!

My contribution to the menu was Mangalore style Bhajji's known as Goli Baje in Karnataka. Recently it had its 3 minutes of fame when Deepika Padukone posted a picture of these Mangalore Bhajjis on her instagram feed claiming this to be her soul food.

I went on a goli baje eating trail across eateries in Bangalore and Mangalore to get my recipe right, but to tell you the truth the best goli bhajjis stemmed out of my childhood memories, taking me back to my mother's dear friend Mrs. Sindhu Prabhu's home. There were many evenings spent in her home, amidst much warmth, laughter and joy, savouring these goli bhajes hot off her stove.

With a crisp exterior and soft interior, goli bhajji is irresistible with the bite of green chili and slight tanginess from the yogurt. Goli Bhajji or goli baje is also known as Mangalore Bhajji or Mysore Bonda. This is a popular tea time snack served across eateries in Karnataka.

With the rains lashing in, this is the perfect weather to heat up your stove and get these delicious bhajjis frying. And if you are too lazy to do that and if you happen to live in Mumbai, you can go to any Soda Bottle Openerwala outlets till the 15^th of August, to get a taste of these bhajjis.

Goli Bhaje | Mangalore Bhajii | Mysore Bonda with Coconut Chutney Recipe

Ingredients:

½ cup yogurt (preferably slightly sour)

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

½ tsp soda bicarbonate

½ to ¾ tsp cumin seeds

2 to 3 green chilies, finely chopped

1 tbsp coconut pieces, chopped (optional)

4 to 5 curry leaves, chopped

1 tbsp fresh coriander (optional)

1 cup plain flour

¼ cup rice flour or gram flour ( besan)

1/4 cup water (more or less)

Method:

In a bowl, put in the yogurt and whisk until there are no lumps. Add sugar, salt and soda bicarbonate along with the cumin and green chilies and optional ingredients if using and mix well.

After the mixture froths, put in the plain flour, gram flour and ¼ cup water and mix well until there are no lumps.

Allow the batter to rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

Heat oil on a medium flame. Wet your fingers with some water and drop small portions of batter into the oil and deep fry until golden brown on a medium flame. Alternatively use a spoon to drop the batter into the oil.

Serve hot as they are or with coconut chutney.

Coconut Chutney Recipe

This is a simple and delicious chutney which goes well with all south indian breakfast dishes.

Ingredients:

100 gm (1 cup) coconut

2 tbsp fresh coriander

30 gm (4 tbsp) roasted chana dal (daria dal or phutana)

3/4 tsp tamarind

1/8 tsp hing

1 green chili

3/4 tsp salt

185 ml (3/4 cup) water

 

For the seasoning:

2 tsp oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

2 to 3 dry red chilies, broken into bits

a sprig of curry leaves

1/4 tsp asafetida

Method:

In a blender put in all the ingredients for the chutney and blend into a smooth mixture. You can keep the consistency a little coarse and it need not be as smooth as it would be for curries.

In a small wok, heat the oil and put in the mustard seeds. When they pop, add the chilies, curry leaves and asafetida and turn off the heat.

Pour the hot seasoning over the ground chutney, mix well and serve.