Veg Bonda or Vegetable Bonda is a deep-fried snack of stuffed mixed vegetables coated with a spiced gram flour batter (besan). Makes for a lovely rainy-day snack, with some hot chai or coffee on the side.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 30 minutes
  • Cook time: 30 minutes
  • Total time: 60 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Snacks, Starters
  • Cuisine: South Indian

Ingredients

  • 50 grams green peas (or ⅓ cup green peas)
  • 50 grams carrots (or ⅓ cup chopped carrots)
  • 150 grams potatoes (or 1 cup peeled & chopped potatoes)
  • 1.5 cups water (- for pressure cooking)
  • ½ tablespoon oil (- can use sunflower oil or peanut oil or canola oil)
  • ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • ¼ teaspoon urad dal ((husked split black gram))
  • 1 or 2 green chillies (- chopped)
  • 1 inch ginger (- finely chopped or 1 teaspoon finely chopped)
  • 1 teaspoon curry leaves (- chopped or 8 to 10 small to medium curry leaves)
  • 1 pinch asafoetida ((hing))
  • ⅛ teaspoon turmeric powder (or 2 to 3 pinches)
  • salt (as required)
  • ½ teaspoon lemon juice ((optional))
  • 2 tablespoons coriander leaves (- chopped)
  • ¾ cup gram flour ((besan))
  • 3 tablespoons Rice Flour
  • 1 pinch turmeric
  • 1 pinch asafoetida ((hing))
  • ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder
  • salt (as required)
  • ⅓ cup water (or add as required)
  • 1 pinch baking soda
  • oil (- for deep frying, as required)

Method

Cooking veggies

  1. Take the chopped carrots, chopped potatoes and green peas in a stovetop pressure cooker. Also add 1.5 cups water.
  2. Pressure cook the veggies for 3 to 4 whistles or for 9 to 10 minutes on medium flame. When the pressure settles down on its own and drops naturally in the cooker, then only open the lid and check the veggies.
  3. Drain the water/broth very well in a bowl or pan and keep the veggies in a mixing bowl. Use the stock/broth in which the veggies were cooked to be added to soups, dals, curries or for kneading parathas.
  4. When the veggies are still hot or warm, mash them with a potato masher.

Preparing vegetable filling

  1. Heat ½ tablespoon oil in a frying pan. First add the mustard seeds.
  2. When the mustard seeds begin to crackle, add the urad dal.
  3. Allow urad dal to get golden.
  4. Once the urad dal gets golden, add chopped ginger, a pinch of asafoetida/hing, chopped curry leaves and chopped green chillies.
  5. Next add turmeric powder. On a low heat stir and mix well.
  6. Next add the mashed veggies. Mix the veggies with the rest of the tempering ingredients very well.
  7. Season with salt as required. Mix again very well.
  8. Sauté the mashed veggies for 1 to 2 minute on a low heat. If there is too much moisture, then you can cook the veggie mixture for a few more minutes.
  9. Turn off the heat. Add lemon juice and mix well. Check the taste and add more salt if needed.
  10. Now add 2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves. Mix well and keep aside. Take this mixture in a separate plate and let it cool down at room temperature before you start making the bonda.

Making batter

  1. In another bowl, take the besan, rice flour, a pinch of turmeric, a pinch of asafoetida/hing, red chilli powder and salt as required.
  2. Add water and make a thick flowing batter.
  3. Whisk to a smooth batter. Break lumps if any with the wired whisk or spoon. Check the taste and add more salt if required.
  4. Now add a pinch of baking soda to the batter. Mix very well and keep aside.

Frying veg bonda

  1. Make small to medium sized balls from the veggie stuffing.
  2. Also heat a kadai or a pan with oil for deep frying.
  3. Check a small drop of batter in the oil. If it comes up gradually but steadily, then the oil is ready for the bonda to be fried.
  4. Now take the veggie ball and dip it in the batter. Gently coat it evenly with the batter.
  5. Place it gently in the hot oil.
  6. This way just before frying, dip each veggie ball in the batter and coat it well with the batter. Do not over crowd the kadai. Fry 2 to 4 bondas at a time. This will depend on the size of the kadai.
  7. On a medium heat, fry the vegetable bonda. When one side has become golden, turn over and fry the other side.
  8. Fry till crisp and golden all over.
  9. Remove with a slotted spoon.
  10. Drain them on kitchen paper towels to remove extra oil. Prepare all veg bonda this way in batches.
  11. Serve Veg Bonda hot with coconut chutney or tomato ketchup.

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.