South Indian Snacks: Make These Kerala-Style Banana Bonda For An Easy Tea-Time Snack

If you carefully observe the Malabari cuisine, you would find a range of dishes that find no parallel in other states around the country. Not only are these dishes unique, they also make use of elements that are local and seasonal; for instance, bananas, coconut or jackfruit.

Kerala's love affair with banana has inspired many dishes that are now a global favourite. Banana chips, pazham pori, banana peel thoran - there is no part of banana plant that is not used in Kerala's cuisine. One of our all-time favourites from this rich and extensive list is the sweet banana bonda. For the uninitiated, 'bonda' is a south Indian fried dumpling that is crispy from outside and soft and mushy from inside. They are mostly savoury and thus make for a cool tea-time snack; however, banana bonda has a slight tinge of sweetness and yet it goes very well with evening cup of tea.

(Also Read: Indian Cooking Tips: How To Make Pazham Pori - Kerala's Sweet And Crispy Banana Fritters)

^{Malabari cuisine is replete with banana-based dishes}

Here's the recipe of banana bonda:

Ingredients:

• Whole wheat flour- 3 cups
• Rice flour- ½ cup
• Ripe banana, mashed- 2 large
• Baking soda- ½ tsp
• Cardamom powder- ½ tsp
• Cinnamon powder- 1/4th tsp
• Jaggery- 1 cup
• Oil for frying

Method:
1. Mix all dry ingredients - whole wheat flour, rice flour, cardamom powder, cinnamon powder, baking soda - until well combined.
2. In another pan , heat jaggery and water (as required), until you get a jaggery syrup. Carefully pour it over the flour mixture using a strainer. Do not over-heat, make sure you do not burn the jaggery.
3. Now, add the mashed bananas to the mix and combine everything well in a nice sticky batter.
4. Meanwhile, start heating your oil in another pan. Once heated, turn the flame to medium. With your hand, make small round balls from the batter and drop it in the oil. Make sure you do not hurt yourself in the process.
5. Fry until golden brown, repeat the same with rest of batter.
6. Place a kitchen towel on top of a plate and place the bondas on top. Serve hot.

Pro-tip: You can add a pinch of salt in the batter too, to balance out the flavours.

Try this recipe at home and let us know how you liked it in the comment box below.

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