Bombai Bonda

Bombai Bonda
Ingredients:
Palya:

• 2 cups potatoes boiled, peeled and smushed
• 1/2 cup onions finely chopped
• 1/2 cup green peas cooked and drained (optional)
• 1/8 cup cilantro finely chopped
• 4 green chilies finely chopped
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbs oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp urad dhal(optional)

Bonda batter

• 2 cups besan flour shifted no lumps
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 cup cilantro finely chopped (optional)
• 4 green chilies finely chopped or 1/4 tsp chili powder (optional)
• 1 tsp salt

3 to 4 cups oil



Method:
Palya: On medium heat, heat 1 tbs of oil in a pan and splatter the mustard seeds. Add the urad dhal and toast it brown. Add onions, green chilies, cilantro, ginger and saute for a few minutes. Turn of the heat and add the peas, potatoes and salt. Mix the contents well and let it cool for a while. Make 1" small balls and place them in a large plate in a single layer.
Batter: Combine besan flour, cilantro, green chilies, baking soda, salt in a wide mouthed bowls. Add about 1 cup of water and mix to make a batter of buttermilk consistency.

Heat the 3 cups of oil in a frying pan till it is hot, Take each potato ball, dip in the batter and slide it carefully into the hot oil. Make enough of these balls to fit the frying pan in a single layer. Using a long slotted spoon, turn the bondas every now and then, till they are all slightly browned and crispy. Remove from oil and drain them on paper towel.
Cooking Tips: Do not over heat the oil.
Serving Tips: Serve with any kind of chutney, ketchup or hot sauce.

Thair Vadae

Thair Vadae
Ingredients:

• 10+ Vadaes (see Uddina Vadae post)
• 2 or 3 cups of yogurt (home made or store bought) or butter milk
• 2 tbs of freshly grated coconut (optional)
• 1 tbs cilantro finely copped (optional)
• 2 green chilies finely chopped or 2 red dry chilies crushed(optional)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 pinch hingh(optional)
• 1 pinch of turmeric (optional)
• 1 tbs oil

Method: Mix/churn/whip yogurt for a couple minutes with a little water to make it into the consistency of buttermilk or use plain butter milk. Add salt, cilantro, coconut to the buttermilk. Season, by heating oil in a small shallow dish and splattering mustard seeds. Add the hing, turmeric and the green or crushed chilies. Swish it all around for a minute or two and add the contents to the buttermilk. Combine everything and set aside.
Makes vadaes per the Uddina Vadae post. After removing from the hot oil, place the vadaes directly into the buttermilk. Remove the vadaes from the buttermilk , after they seem to have softened and lay them in a serving dish in a single layer.
Cooking Tips: Vadaes soak within 5 to 10 minutes. The first batch of vadaes will be ready to be removed from the buttermilk by the time the second batch of vadaes are cooked. The vadaes will become too mushy, if they are let to soak in buttermilk for too long. You can add a couple tbs of grated cucumbers or carrots to give a different flavor to the buttermilk. Can also grind 1/2 tsp of mustard seeds with 2 tbs of coconut and add to the buttermilk to give a twist in taste .
Serving tips: Sprinkle kara boondi just before serving.

Uddina Vadae

Uddina Vadae
Ingredients:

• 1 cup urad dhal
• 1/8 cup cilantro finely chopped (optional)
• 1 tsp crushed black pepper (optional)
• 1tsp cumin seeds (optional)
• 2 green chilies finely chopped (optional)
• 1 tsp of grated ginger
• 1 tbs of fresh coconut finely chopped (optional)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tdp baking powder (optional)
• 2 or 3 cups of oil
• 1 pinch of turmeric (optional)
• 1 tbs of channa dhal (optional)
• 1 tsp ghee

Raw Vadae  Ingredients

Single Vadae prep for frying

Vadae frying sequence

Frying Vadaes

Fried Vadaes

Method: Rinse urad dhal in cool water and soak for a couple of hours. Grind the soaked contents into a smooth paste with about 1/2 cup of water. Pour the ground batter into a bowl. Combine rest of the ingredients and set aside. Heat oil in a frying pan till it is hot on medium heat. Keep a small bowl of water and the batter close to the heated oil, away from the heat. Wet your hand and remove about 1 inch blob of batter. Place the batter on your 4 fingers and press slightly with the thumb, to make patties about 1/2" thick. Using your thumb, make a hole in the middle of the batter and slide it carefully into the hot oil. Repeat till you have made several vadaes that fit the pan in a single layer. Using a slotted spoon, turn the vadaes as they brown. Cook till the vadaes are brown on both sides. The frothy oil will start to boil clearly when the vades are ready to be removed from the oil. Remove from oil and drain on paper towel before serving.
Cooking Tips: You can spoon in the batter to fry in oil to make round blob vadaes. Baking soda sometimes cause the vadaes to soak more oil. Can make vadaes without baking soda.
Serving Tips: Serve with any kind of chutney. Can serve with iddlies and sambar.

Pakoda

Pakoda
Ingredients:

• 1 cup onion finely slit lengthwise
• 1/8 cup finely chopped cilantro
• 2 or 3 green chillies finely chopped ( or 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper) optional
• 1/2 cup besan flour (chickpeas flour)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 pinch baking soda
• 1/4 tsp cumin seeds (optional)
• 1/2 tsp crushed black pepper(optional)
• 2 or 3 cups f corn oil

Method: Combine the above of the ingredients except the oil in a bowl, with minimal water. Heat the oil in a frying pan till it is hot. Carefully add clustes/chunks of the combined contents to the hot oil. Add several clusters, in a single layer batches, flipping one side when it browns. Remove from oil and drain on paper towel.

Cooking Tips: Can add a 1/2 tsp of grated ginger and or 1/2 tsp of grated garlic for a variety. Can also do a similar snack with any kind of spinach.

Serving Tips: Serve with any kind of chutney, hot sauce or ketchup.

Ambodae

Ambodae

Ingredients:

• 1 cup split chickpeas (Channa dhal)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
• 2 or 3 finely chopped green chillies (or crushed red chillies) optional
• 1/8 cup grated coconut(optional)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cumin seeds(optional)
• 1 pinch baking soda
• 1 pinch hingh(optional)
2 or 3 cups of corn oil

Method: Rinse the split chickpeas in cool water and soak for a couple of hours. Drain most of the water and grind the chickpeas into a pretty coarse paste. Combine rest of the ingredients and mix well.
In a frying pan heat oil till it is hot. Make small patties about 2" wide and 1/2" thick. Carefully, add each patty, as you make them, to the heated oil. Add several patties in a single layer batches, flipping when one side browns. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels.
Serving Tips: Serve hot with cilantro chutney, ketchup, hot sauce, mint chutney or in sambar.

Cooking Tips: Can add finely chopped onions, spinach, mint, methi leaves etc. Use minimal water while grinding.



Blend Ready

  

Flatten

Combined



Make Ball



Patti Ready

 

Fried

Zucchini Bajji/Bhonda

Zucchini Bajji/Bhonda
Ingredients:

• 1 small zucchini thinly sliced(about 1/8" thick )
• 1 cup of besan flour
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/8 cup of finely chopped cilantro(optional)
• 1/4 tsp of chili powder(optional)
• 2 small chopped green chillies
• 3 cups of cooking oil (corn, vegetable, canola.your choice)
• pinch of hingh(optional)
• 1/4 tsp of baking soda

Method:
In a bowl mix besan, salt, cilantro, chili powder, green chillies with about 1/4 to 3/4 cup of water. The contents should have the consistency of tomato puree or sauce. In a wok or a pan heat oil on medium heat to about 375 degrees. The oil is hot enough when a drop of batter is dropped in the heated oil, it will rise to the surface and the oil will start bubbling around the drop of batter. When the oil is ready, add the baking soda to the batter mixture and mix well. Take a few (5 or 6) slices of zucchini and place it in the batter. Using your hands, dip each slice of zucchini into the batter, and coat both sides of the slice with batter. Drop it carefully into the hot oil. Repeat procedure, making sure that you place the remaining 5 or 6 zucchinis slices in a single layer. Do not over crowd the zucchinis in the wok. After a couple of minutes, turn the zucchinis over (use a long slotted spatula). Keep turning the zucchinis over, every now and then, till the dough covering the zucchinis are not liquidy or soft. It would take about 8 to 10 minutes for each batch to cook. Remove the fried zucchini bajji's from the oil and place them on a draining rack. Alternatively line a dish or a plate with paper towel and place the fried bajji's in a single layer. Repeat procedure till you have fried all the zucchinis you have sliced or the batter is done.
Cooking tips:
You can use a potatoes instead of zucchinis. Also you can dice the zucchinis, add it to the batter and deep fry them. You can use a large spoon to drop the batter mixture into the oil while frying. Likewise other vegetables like cauliflower, eggplant etc can be deep fried this way. Once the bajjis are cool, you can place them all together.
Serving tips:
Bajjis can be served hot or cold. Hot bajjis with hot sauce or cilantro chetni is a most favoured snack. Can also serve with date or tamarind chetni.