Mysore bonda is a savory, crispy, spongy, deep fried snack made with urad dal.
Theme of the Week
The theme for this week is, is everything round a laddu? Well, yesterday I posted edible cookie dough shaped into round balls or in other words, fusion almond chocolate chip laddu. So today, lets try some savory bonda. Bonda is a deep fried, round sweet or savory ball, coated with batter. Some bondas do not have a filling and Mysore bonda is one of them.
What is Mysore Bonda?
Mysore bonda is a popular snack from Mysore region in India. It is made with urad dal, seasoned with green chilies, black peppers and ginger. It is similar to medhu vada or urad dal vada but in a different avatar, plus or minus a few ingredients.
The main difference between Mysore bonda and medhu vada is the shape; former is a round ball and latter is in a doughnut shape. The other major difference is, bonda is onion free with coconut pieces unlike medhu vada. Coconut pieces give a nice crunch to Mysore bonda and addition of rice flour gives it the crispiness.
Mysore Bonda vs Mangalore bajji or Goli Baje
There is a lot of confusion online as to what is a Mysore bonda. I came across many recipes for Mysore bonda that call for maida or all purpose flour, which is similar to goli baje or Mangalore bajji, another popular snack from Karnataka. I was so confused that I almost called a Kannadiga friend for clarification. Then I remembered Sarvana Bhavan Mysore bonda, which is made with lentils and tastes a lot like medhu vada. Henceforth, went ahead with urad dal version of Mysore bonda.
Mysore Bonda and Biscuit Ambade
Biscuit ambade is another snack from Mangalore region and is similar to Mysore bonda but for addition of rava (semolina) instead of rice flour. Semolina gives biscuit ambade an extra crunch just like rice flour gives the outer coating of the bonda the crispiness. Both Mysore bonda and biscuit ambade are served with coconut chutney.
Mysore Bonda
Mysore Bonda ~ Split Black Lentil Balls
Ingredients
- 1 cup Urad Dal
- ½ cup Water for grinding the dal and use more if required
- 6 - 8 small Green Chilies, adjust to taste
- 1 ½ teaspoon Salt or to taste
- 1 ½ - 2 teaspoon chopped Ginger or or 1” Ginger chopped
- 10 Curry Leaves chopped
- ⅓ - ½ cup chopped Cilantro loosely packed
- ¼ - ⅓ cup thinly sliced Coconut I used frozen sliced coconut and slice it to ¼”pieces
- ½ teaspoon Cumin Seeds crushed (optional)
- ½ teaspoon Black Peppercorns crushed
- 2 - 3 teaspoon Rice Flour, can use upto 2 tablespoon of flour for a very crunchy bonda. Check notes below
- Oil for deep frying
Instructions
- Wash urad dal and soak for at least 3-4 hours. 1 ½ - 2 hours might also work but I always soak at least 3-4 hours.
- Discard water and wash dal again. Put in a strainer or a colander to drain water.
- Grind urad dal, green chilies and salt to a almost smooth paste/batter, using about ½ cup water. The batter should be thick, just like medhu vada batter.
- Transfer the batter to a wide bowl, add rest of the ingredients except oil. Mix to combine all the ingredients evenly and also to aerate the batter.
- Drop a pinch of batter in water to test the consistency of the batter.
- If batter floats, the batter is of the right consistency and if it sinks to the bottom of the bowl, the batter is too thick. Add some water.
- Heat oil in a wok or a wide pan for deep frying the bonda.
- When oil is hot, reduce the flame to medium.
- Wet hands and take about gooseberry sized batter and shape into a round ball. Gradually drop into oil.
- Depending on the size of the wok, fry 5 - 6 bonda per batch.
- Fry bonda, turning them around until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes.
- Remove from oil and let drain on paper towels.
- Repeat the above steps to fry rest of the bonda. I did it in 4 batches.
- Serve hot with coconut chutney.
Notes
- To get spongy bonda, the batter should not be very thick nor very thin. It should be of medu vada consistency. A thick batter will result in a hard bond. Add some water to thin the batter.
- Careful when adding water, as a thin batter will make it difficult to shape the bonda. In such scenario, add some rice flour to thicken the batter.
- Batter Test - Drop a tiny ball of batter in a bowl of water. If the batter floats to the top, then it is the right consistency.
- If the batter sinks to the bottom, the batter is too thick and add a tablespoon of water, mix and repeat the test.
- Rice Flour - For a very crispy outer bonda use 2 tablespoon of rice flour but make sure batter is not very thick. Else will result in a hard bonda.
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Chef Mireille says
i've made goli baje before and this reminded me of it but as you said with urad dal being the difference and healthier also
Suja Ram says
Mysore Bondas look absolutely sinful..Love the presentation with a yummy green chutney!
Priya Srinivasan says
OMG drooling over these cute balls usha!! wish i could grab some off the clicks! Hot tea and these yumm bondas would make a lovely evening!!!
Jayashree says
Drooling over these crisp, spongy beauties. And yes, you are right - Mysore bondas are made with urad dal and Mangalore bondas/Golibaje are made with maida.
Pavani says
Most of the Mysore bonda sold on the little street carts in Hyderabad are made with maida. I'm not a big fan of them at all. Didn't know that these lentil based Mysore bonda existed -- I would love to try these.
sapana says
I once tasted these bonda at a friend's house and they were so delicious. Love the setup and presentation with lovely pictures.
Suma Gandlur says
Those bondas look so yummy, Usha.
srividhya says
Wow was waiting for a savory item under this theme. This is awesome. Crispy outside and soft inside... yummm
Jyoti Babel says
The texture inside is so soft. Will love them with a cup of coffee
Priya Suresh says
Wow, you are killing me with those cuties, have nt had bondas and those cutes balls are tempting me to the core. Wish i get few from my lappy screens.
Harini says
I am getting mixed up maybe. I think we make this with maida and sour buttermilk. Regardless, these look super tempting.
MySpicyKitchen says
Harini, yes, as you said even I remember it as maida and sour yogurt or buttermilk. But when did a search, there were some recipes with urad dal. Since Sarvana Bhavan has it with lentils, I picked this version over maida.
srividhya says
Harini, I think you are referring to Goli Baji. It is prepared with maida and buttermilk/yogurt as well.
manjulabharathkumar2016 says
wow thats an amazing round shaped dish you have picked , they look so delicious and you have made them perfect .. I went for vacation to Mysore just enjoyed these bonda dipped in sambhar ... Craving for some bondas after seeing you drool worthy captures..
MySpicyKitchen says
Thanks Manju
vaishalisabnani says
Today I feel like a nut ! Seriously I always thought Mysore Bonda is another version of batata wada ! Bookmarking to make this soon , drooling over it and laughing st myself . Lol !
MySpicyKitchen says
🙂
Sharmila - The Happie Friends Potpourri Corner says
Drooling clicks.. Love this snack with a yummy coconut chutney..
Rujuta says
Hi,
Loved Mysore Bonda so thanks for sharing the recipe.. It looks so crispy and tempting & will definitely try incorporating rava instead of rice flour to make Biscuit Ambade
Best Wishes