Bondas Galore - 2

BONDAS GALORE - II
We celebrate ' Bonda Time' on fun filled and relaxed Sundays or on other holidays. Piping hot bondas served straight from the kadai are a connoisseur's delight. It is really amusing to watch my grand children and their grand father playfully competing to pick up the hot bondas served in batches.

Here are a few more varieties of Bondas which my family relishes.

RAVA BONDA

INGREDIENTS

Rava - 250 gms or 1 glass

Sour Curds - 1 1/2 glasses

Salt - 3/4 tsp

Chopped green chillies - 1 tbsp

Chopped onions - 4 tbsps

Chopped fresh ginger - 1 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - a few

Oil for frying

METHOD

1. Dry roast semolina till it emanates a pleasant aroma.

2. Add all the chopped ingredients, salt, cumin seeds and curry leaves when the semolina is still a little warm.

3. Add sour curds little by little to make a thick bonda batter.It should be slightly thicker than the idly batter.

4. Rest it for about ten minutes and add more curds if necessary to adjust consistancy.

5. Add 2 tbsps of hot oil to the batter and blend well.

6. Heat the oil in a kadai .

7. Test the temperature by dropping a pinch of batter to it. If the batter rises up immediately the oil is ready for frying.

8. Drop 6 to 8 small dollops of the batter in the hot oil, reduce flame and fry the batch of rava bondas to a golden brown colour.

9. Increase flame before starting the next batch.

Relish the spicy crispy rava bondas with mint chutney

VEGETABLE BREAD BONDAS

INGREDIENTS

Fresh sandwich bread - 6 slices

Potatoes - 2 big

Onion - 1

Capsicum - 1 big

Tomatoes - 1 big

Peas - 1 cup

Red chilly powder - 1 tsp

Dania powder - 1 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Coriander leaves (chopped) - 1 tbsp

Juice of 1 lime

Salt - 11/2 tsp

Cooking oil - 2 tbsps

Oil for frying

METHOD

1. Cut the crusty edges of the bread and keep the slices aside. Chop the crust to tiny bits and keep aside.

2. Peel the skin of the potatoes and chop them to tiny cubess.

3. Chop onion, capsicum and tomato and keep them separately.

4. Heat 2 tbsps of oil in a heavy bottomed pan and add cumin seeds.

5. Add chopped onion and fry till it is glassy and pink in colour.

6. Add chopped potatoes and stir well.

7. Blend in the chilly powder, dania powder and salt.

8. Cover and cook in slow fire till the potatoes are soft.

9. Stir in the chopped capsicum and peas,Cover and cook till done.

10. Add the chopped tomatoes and the chopped bread crust and cook till the bread absorbs all liquid.

11. Blend in the lime juice and coriander leaves and allow this filling to cool.

12. Dip one prepared bread slice in water and press it in between your palms to remove water.

13. Place a ball of filling in the centre of the wet bread and fold all the edges over the filling to make perfect balls. You can use a piece of wet bread to patch up any exposed area. Prepare the rest of the bondas similarly, using the rest of the bread slices.

14. Fry the vegetable bread bondas in hot oil until golden red in colour and drain them on paper towels.

Enjoy the heavenly taste of vegetable bread bonda with tomato ketchup or mint chutney.

SUHIYAM - A SWEET BONDA

INGREDIENTS FOR FILLING

Fresh coconut gratings - 1 glass

Grated or powdered jaggery - 3/4 glass

Cardamom powder - 1 pinch

INGREDIENTS FOR THE BATTER

Split black gram dal - 1 cup

Rice flour - 1 tbsp

Salt - 1/2 a pinch

Oil for frying

METHOD

1. Disslve jaggery in 1/2 a glass of hot water and strain.

2. Boil the jaggery water and fresh coconut gratings in low fire in a heavy bottomed vessel.

3. Cook stirring occassionally until all the water is evaporated.

4. Blend in the cardamom powder and allow the "poornam" to cool down well.

5. Soak the black gram dal for half an hour and grind it to a thick smooth paste, blending in the rice flour and salt in the last round. The batter should be thick enough to coat the filling well.

6. Heat ol in a kadai.

7. Take a lemon size ball of poornam, dip into the batter and coat well before dropping it into hot oil.

8. Cook Suhiams in batches of five or six , making sure that they do not stick to each other.

9. Since the poornam tends to leave a black residue in the oil, switch off fire and filter the oil after two or three batches are done.

Suhiams taste good even if they become cold. Pop one into your mouth and savour the taste as it melts in your mouth.