Time for two weeks of the Blogging Marathon this month too! By now, you would have figured out how much I love doing the Blogging Marathon whenever I can. I always tell Valli how much the two weeks makes me feel really energized and looking forward to trying new recipes and doing posts on the blog. I am really thankful that I am finding it easier to do posts and things seem to be in a nice flow now, though I wouldn’t want to get over excited about anything at the moment. 😉
This month’s edition is the BM #115 and this week, the theme I have chosen is “Monsoon Delights”. I have been going home every year for the past six years. Every year, we would think of not travelling, however at the beginning of the year while fitting in the plans, going home comes in automatically. Staying over here during the summers is nothing less than torture with the temperatures unbearable and staying at home being the best option possible. When the climate is different and cozy back home, then why not travel, even if it means that the airlines would rip you off saying “peak season”! Just like has been for the past two years, the rains have been extremely heavy and scary to say the least. Having gone through the experiences, I sincerely hope that it doesn’t worsen when the state is already grappling with increasing cases of Covid. All we can do is pray and hope for the best…
Coming back to the theme, the first recipe I chooose to share is the urulakizhangu bonda aka deep fried potato balls. This post has been in my drafts ever since I started blogging. I am not kidding. 😉 I shot it during Ramadan in 2013, which is the year I started blogging, and then lost those pictures. I then made it a couple of times, whenever I craved for it but never got with shooting it. It was when I made the Batata Vada sometime back, that I was again reminded that I never posted our Kerala special. This Ramadan, while my SIL and I were thinking about what snack to make, she remarked that we could make some bonda, since she loved them, and it was a Eureka moment. Finally this post gets its appearance on the blog. Hehe…
On heavy rainy nights, a warm bonda with a cup of hot chai is a true bliss. Somehow, potatoes have this impecable capacity of turning anything simple into a very comforting dish, and this bonda is no different. The potatoes are cooked and mashed, and tossed up in a little spicy onion masala, rolled, dipped into a thick batter and deep fried till done. I totally love the intermittent bites of the green chilli in the potatoes, and when combined with hot tea, provides a total play in the mouth. This is apt when you have cooked potatoes in the fridge and wondering what to have for chai time that can come together in minimal time. Ah, amn’t I craving for some now, though it is really hot over here…
Urulakizhangu Bonda | Aloo Bonda ~ Potato Balls
Ingredients
- 3 meduim potatoes boiled and mashed
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 meduim onion minced
- 2 green chillies minced
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/4 tsp red chilli powder
- 1/4 tsp garam masala powder
- Salt to taste
- Oil for deep frying
- FOR BATTER:
- 1/2 cup wholewheat flour
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp rice flour
- A pinch salt
- A pinch turmeric powder
- A pinch red chilli powder
- Water as required
Instructions
- Heat oil, splutter mustard seeds. Saute the onion and green chillies till soft. Add the powders and salt and saute for a couple of minutes.
- Add the mashed potatoes and mix well till combined. Make sure the mixture is dry. Switch off the flame and set aside to cool. Divide the mixture into 10 equal balls.
- Mix all the ingredients for the batter and add water little by little till you have a very thick batter. I used around 1/2 cup of water.
- Heat oil in a kadai till smoking hot. When you drop a little batter, it would push up.
- Dip one potato ball into the thick batter and roll using a spoon till evenly coated. Slowly lift and drop into the oil.
- Fry on meduim-low flame till golden brown. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on a kitchen towel. Repeat till all the bondas is completed.
- Serve warm with a cup of chai!
They make a great side dish or an afternoon snack!
Bookmarking the Kerela Bonda ! It’s completely different from the ones I make . I like the different flours used ito prepare the batter and the onion in the Bonda ! Will try before the monsoon is over .
Wow this version seems so different as you have used wheat and maida, very interesting Rafeeda. It had been the same with me too, aloo bonda was something that is so common, yet it took time to finally make its appearance. Btw have you come down to India or not? hope things are good your end!
The bondas look so good, I want some right now.
The outer covering batter is such an interesting one and potato bondas in any form will disappear as soon as they are made, right?
Wow the outer covering is so new and interesting. As you rightly mentioned, anything dish with aloo makes it so much better.