Make these crispy, fluffy and delicious fritters from the Mangalorean cuisine. These are made with all-purpose flour, spices and herbs. They taste great with chutney and tea.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 5 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: Not specified
  • Yield: 2
  • Category: Snack
  • Cuisine: Karnataka

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup organic all-purpose flour ((maida))
  • 1 tablespoon rice flour
  • 6 tablespoons curd ((preferably sour) (yogurt))
  • ¼ teaspoon salt ((adjust to taste))
  • ½ teaspoon ginger (chopped finely)
  • 1 to 2 green chilies (chopped)
  • 2 tablespoons coriander leaves ((cilantro) chopped finely)
  • 1 sprig curry leaves (chopped)
  • 2 tablespoons coconut (grated or 1 tbsp chopped finely (optional))
  • ¼ teaspoon soda ((soda-bi-carbonate) (skip if fermenting batter))
  • oil (for deep frying)
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons water ((adjust as needed))

Method

Preparation

  1. Mix together flour, rice flour, soda & salt in a mixing bowl. Add ginger, chilies, curry leaves, coconut, coriander leaves, curd and mix well. Pour water in small quantities only as needed and make a thick batter.
  2. It should be thick, sticky & of dropping consistency. Cover and rest for at least 2 hours.

How to make Mangalore Bajji

  1. Beat the batter very well with your hand in a circular motion for 30 seconds to aerate it. Do not over beat.
  2. It should be of dropping consistency and not pouring or flowing consistency. If it is not, then add some flour and mix. I did not add any.
  3. On a medium flame, heat oil in a pot or kadai until hot. Test by dropping a small portion of batter to the oil. It should sizzle and rise to the surface without turning brown. If it sinks, it means the oil is not hot enough.
  4. Take small portions of batter in your hand, shape them with your fingers and drop to the oil. They will double or triple in size so do not make them too big.
  5. You can add as many as possible without overcrowding. Do not touch them for a minute or 2. Later stir them with a spoon/spider and fry on a medium heat until golden and crisp.
  6. Remove them to a cooling rack or a steel colander. Repeat and fry in batches till you finish the batter.
  7. Serve goli baje hot with coconut chutney or any other chutney.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.