Mysore Bonda also known as Mysore Bajji is a popular South Indian snack made with lentils, fresh herbs and vibrant spices. The ingredients are combined to create a thick batter, and are then deep fried to make crisp, soft and fluffy fritters.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 480 minutes
  • Cook time: 30 minutes
  • Total time: 510 minutes
  • Yield: 14 · 14 Mysore Bonda
  • Category: Snacks
  • Cuisine: Karnataka, South Indian, Tamil Nadu

Ingredients

  • ½ cup urad dal (- hulled or husked black gram)
  • 2 cups water (- for soaking)
  • 4 to 5 tablespoons water (or as required for grinding urad dal)
  • 1 to 1.5 tablespoon Rice Flour (or fine semolina or rava - optional)
  • ½ teaspoon crushed black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • ½ inch ginger (- finely chopped or ½ teaspoon)
  • 1 green chili (- chopped or ½ to 1 teaspoon chopped)
  • 2.5 to 3 tablespoon chopped fresh coconut
  • 8 to 10 curry leaves (- chopped)
  • 1 pinch asafoetida ((hing))
  • salt (as required)
  • oil (as required for deep frying)
  • ¼ cup grated coconut (- fresh or frozen)
  • 1 tablespoon roasted chana dal ((roasted bengal gram))
  • 1 or 2 green chilies (- chopped)
  • 8 to 10 curry leaves (fried in 1 or 2 teaspoons oil)
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons water (or as required for grinding coconut)

Method

Soaking Lentils and Making Batter

  1. First rinse the urad dal a couple of times in water. Then in a bowl soak the lentils in water for 5 to 6 hours or overnight.
  2. Later drain all the water. In a mixer-grinder or blender add the lentils and water in parts. Grind or blend to a smooth and fluffy batter. First add 3 tablespoons water and then add more as required.
  3. Using a silicon spatula take all of the batter in a bowl.
  4. Whisk the batter briskly for a 2 to 3 minutes with a wired whisk or spoon. This helps in aerating the batter which makes the bonda fluffy and light.
  5. Mix very well with rice flour, crushed black pepper, cumin seeds, chopped ginger and green chillies, asafoetida, chopped curry leaves, chopped coconut (optional) and salt as required.

Frying Mysore Bonda

  1. Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or fryer. Let the oil heat to a moderately hot temperature.
  2. Using a tablespoon measure or any small to medium-sized spoon, pour the batter in a round shape into the hot oil.
  3. When one side is lightly crisp and slightly golden, then turn over each bonda.
  4. Continue to fry the second side until light golden and crisp.
  5. Fry in medium hot oil till the bonda are crisp and golden turning them over as needed.
  6. Remove with a slotted spoon and place them on kitchen paper towels to absorb excess oil.
  7. Fry the remaining batches of bonda in a similar way.
  8. Serve mysore bonda hot or warm with coconut chutney.

Making coconut chutney

  1. In a small pan, first fry the curry leaves in 1 or 2 teaspoons oil till they get crisp.
  2. Grind or blend all the ingredients mentioned under the coconut chutney list, together with the fried curry leaves and oil, with water.
  3. Serve the coconut chutney with the mysore bonda.

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.