Aloo Bonda / Potato Bonda South Indian style

a couple of bondas plus a cup of coffee or tea equal to bliss. A perfect dish on a rainy day! here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

For the filling:

Potatoes (white or red skin) - medium size - 8 to 10


Red onion - medium size -1


Green chillies - 4


Ginger - 1 inch


Little oil for seasoning


Mustard seeds - 2 teaspoons


Urud dal - 2 teaspoons


Turmeric powder - half teaspoon


Asafoetida powder - half teaspoon


Coriander leaves - handful - finely chopped


Salt as required

For the batter:

Besan flour - 1 cup


Rice flour - 3/4 cup (three quarters of a cup)


Turmeric powder - a pinch


Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon


Salt - as required


Baking soda - half teaspoon (optional)


( Note: I did not use the baking soda and the bondas were not crispy. The taste was still good.)


Water - just enough to make a thick batter

For deep frying:

Enough oil to deep fry the bondas

Method:

Prepare the filling:

Cook the potatoes. Peel off the skin. Mash well and keep it aside.

Chop the onions and green chilllis very finely. Peel off the skin from the ginger and chop finely.

Heat a tablespoon oil in a kadai. Add the mustard seeds, when it pops, add the urud dal, green, chillis, ginger and onion. Saute until the onions are soft. Now, add the turmeric powder, asafoetida powder, salt, chopped coriander leaves and mashed potaotes and mix well in low heat. DO NOT ADD WATER.

Keep stirring until equal distribution of spices. Keep it aside and allow it to cool. When it's luke warm, make small balls and arrange in a plate. The filling is ready to be dipped in batter and deep fried.

Prepare the batter:

Take a mixing bowl and mix in the besan flour, rice flour, salt, turmeric and red chilli powders and soda if your are adding. Whisk it dry and then add water little by little while stirring continuously. Make sure the batter is thick (thicker than the bajji batter) and there are no lumps. The batter is ready too.

Deepfrying bondas:

Heat oil in a kadai. Test by frying a drop of the prepared batter. The fried batter should come to the surface frizzing.

Hold the mixing bowl near the oil, take a prepared potato ball, dip it in the batter and glide it in the bowl corner to prevent dripping and then slide it gently into the hot oil. You can fry 3 to 4 bondas in each batch.

Make sure the oil in in medium heat. With utmost caution, keep tossing the bondas so that it is fried well on all directions. 

When the bondas turn a little darker than golden brown, take the bondas out carefully and place them in a paper towel lined bowl.

Serve the hot bondas with chutney of your choice. When serving for children keep in mind the filling will be super hot. I did not prepare any chutney and I served it with masala chatpat maggie sauce.

Tomato Pulao

Wish you all a very very happy New Year 2011. Here I am with all the strength and vigor to start blogging actively. Hope this enthusiasm stays with me. To start with, I have a delicious Tomato Pulao that is spicy and aromatic. With respect to taste, there is a vast difference between cooked rice mixed with tomato and the rice itself cooked in tomato. The dish is cooked in Dum in a non stick heavy bottomed kadai with lid. I have not used any rice cooker or pressure cooker to prepare this dish. Just this one dish with some raitha is enough for a wholesome meal that will be ready in a jiffy to please your taste buds. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

Basmathi rice - 2 cups

Diced tomato Can - 2

(Note: I used Organics brand diced tomato in tomato juice. Use 4 to 5 red ripe roma tomatoes, if you don't have 'diced tomato' cans - If you grind the tomato, the yield should be 2 or 2 and half cups)

Water - 2 cups

Oil for seasoning

Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon

Star anise seeds - 2 or 3 stars

Dhania powder - 2 teaspoons

Garlic - 4 cloves

Ginger - half inch - finely diced

Green chillis - 3

Cinnamon stick - 1 inch

Cloves - 5 to 6

Bay leaf - 2

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Salt as required

Roasted cashews and coriander leaves for garnish

Ghee (optional) - for flavor

Method:

Soak the rice in 2 cups water. Keep it aside.

Chop the onions.

Grind the tomato.

Dry grind the cloves and add ginger, garlic and green chillis. Sprinkle water and grind to a paste.

Take a heavy bottomed wide non stick kadai that has a lid. Heat a table spoon oil and add the cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, bay leaf and star anise seeds.

Add the chopped onions and fry until the onions are soft.

Add the Ground paste (ginger,garlic,cloves,green chillis paste).

Fry for a minute and add 2 cups tomato juice (the pulpy juice) and 2 cups water.

When the content comes to a boil, add the salt, turmeric powder and dhania powder.

Add the soaked rice with the water. Allow the content to boil. Close the kadai with a lid. Preferably with a glass lid. Bring the heat to medium (number 5 from the scale of 1 to 10 if cooking in electric coil).

Give a stir after 10 or 15 minutes and cook closed. Keep an eye on the pulao. Turn off heat if all the water is absorbed. 

Toss in the roasted cashews and flavor the rice with ghee (clarified butter). The rich and spicy aroma of the pulao will fill the room. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and enjoy with  raita of your choice.