Mysore Bonda | Mysore Bajji

Mysore Bonda is a tasty, crispy outside & spongy inside snack made by deep frying dollops of urad dal flour batter. Mysore Bonda also called as Mysore Bajji is a traditional South Indian snack relished for evening tea along with chutney and during special occasions. Mysore Bonda Recipe is explained in this post with step by step pictures and video.

Mysore Bonda is plain bonda without masala stuffing and a healthy snack compared to the packed junkies. Mysore Bonda, Mysore Pak, Mysore Rasam are all Mysore’s gift to the food world. Mysore Bonda is often confused with Mangalore bonda / bajji which is made with maida and curd as main ingredients. But the authentic version of Mysore Bonda as given here is made with urad dal batter.

About Mysore Bonda

Mysore Bonda is made by grinding urad dal to a thick batter, mixed with condiments & coconut pieces, spooned to kadai and deep fried. Mysore Bonda is a great source of protein good for bones and tasty too! I love the tint of coconut bits and pepper in the Bonda which makes it to go for one more!

Bonda Batter

The bonda batter is the key for crispy outside and spongy inside bonda – the batter should be fluffy and light, when you add it to a bowl of water it should float like butter. So the trick is to soak urad dal in enough water for mentioned hours and grinding it with very little water until smooth and fluffy. If your batter is perfect in consistency when it is dropped in oil – in few seconds, the bondas starts to turn over to other side by itself which is such a delight to watch.

You can either grind it in mixie or grinder. I usually grind it in mixie if making in a small batch. Sometimes I reserve a portion of urad dal batter when I make batter for idli & dosa and store the batter for Mysore Bonda preparation at a later time to avoid grinding once more! You can store the batter in fridge with adding the condiments for 2-3 days. It serves as a great evening snack with tea or add it to your breakfast to make it special for weekends.

More similar recipes

Is Mysore Bonda & Goli Baje the same?

Mysore Bonda is closest in resemblance to golibaje & medu vada – however there is subtle difference. Goli Bajeis the refined flour / maida version of Mysore Bonda. Vada is the donut shape version of Mysore Bonda with addition of some more spices. We can try this bonda with atta / wheat flour as well!

Mysore Bonda Ingredients

• Urad Dal : Urad Dal is the main ingredient for this bonda also the authentic version – though you can use atta / refined wheat flour too! Also urad dal gives sponginess to the snack – hence I recommend making bonda with urad dal when you make it for kids & special occasions.
• Condiments : Mysore Bonda does not need many ingredients – just pepper and salt would do! For flavour we add ginger, curry leaves, cumin seeds and for spice green chillies are added.
• Veggies : Traditionally Mysore Bonda should have trace of fine cut coconut bits & curry leaves – I recommend adding them! Alternatively to make bonda healthier for kids, we can add fine pieces of carrot, peas, cabbage, onion as well!

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📖 Recipe Card

Mysore Bonda Recipe – Step by Step

1.To a mixing bowl add 1 cup whole urad dal.

2.Soak urad dal in enough water till immersing level for 3 hrs.

3.Rinse it well then drain water completely. Add it to a big mixer jar.

4.Add around 2 tablespoon water first. To avoid mixer getting hot add ice chill water.

5.Add ice water little by little and grind to a fluffy batter. Scrap the sides sprinkle water and grind to avoid mixer getting stuck.

6.The batter should be smooth and fluffy.

7.Also the batter should be thick so be very careful while adding water. If the batter is runny the bondas will drink more oil and will become soggy when deep fried.

8.Transfer the batter to the mixing bowl – add

1 teaspoon whole pepper

3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon ginger finely chopped

2 green chillies finely chopped

10 curry leaves finely chopped

4 tablespoon coconut pieces finely chopped

salt to taste

1/2 teaspoon hing

9.Mix it until well combined.

10.Dip fingers in water to avoid sticking.

11.Make a lemon sized ball. You can make it tiny to make it tempting to toddlers.

12.Heat oil, drop atiny pinch of batter if it comes up immediately then oil is ready. Make small balls and carefully drop it in preheated oil. If the batter is perfect the bonda will start to turn over by itself.

13.Keep in medium flame and cook till both sides are become crisp and golden brown.

14.Turn over and cook on both sides.

15.Deep fry until golden brown and crisp.

16.Remove the bondas and drain in tissue paper. Repeat to finish the batter.

Crisp bondas are ready!

Expert Tips

• Make sure you grind the batter fine and fluffy. I used mixer for grinding the batter.You can even use grinder which will yield slightly more batter in volume.
• Add salt only when you are ready to fry the bondas. Resting the batter with salt for more time will make the batter runny.
• Also if you are planning to store the batter then store it without adding anything. While you are ready to deep fry you can add the condiments and deep fry it.
• Use groundnut oil or refined oil for deep frying. I always use groundnut oil for cooking and deep frying.
• You can make the size small or big as per your preference.

Serving & Storage Suggestions

Mysore Bonda with coconut chutney is match made in heaven for snack! Serve hot and make bondas with the batter as and when you need rather than making bondas altogether for later use.

I deal with the leftovers (normally there won’t be) by dunking the bondas in sambar, curd or rasam to make Sambar Mysore Bonda, Dahi Mysore Bonda and Rasam Bonda accordingly.

Variations

Mysore Bonda is traditionally made with urad dal. How ever you can try with wheat flour, refined wheat flour and a mix of urad (75%) & raw rice (25%) too. Add fine pieces of carrot, peas, cabbage, onion for a more veggie healthy version for kids.

FAQs

1.What is Mysore Bonda?

Mysore Bonda is a tasty, crispy outside & spongy inside snack made by deep frying dollops of urad dal flour batter. It traditional South Indian snack relished for evening tea along with chutney.

2.How do you make Mysore Bonda?

• Soak urad dal for minimum 3 hours
• Grind urad dal to a fluffy smooth batter
• Mix with coconut bits, pepper, curry leaves and hing
• Deep fry dollops of hand spooned batter – Bonda is ready!

3.Can we make Mysore Bonda with refined wheat flour / maida?

Mysore Bonda is traditionally made with urad dal and can be tried with wheat flour, refined wheat flour and a mix of urad (75%) & raw rice (25%) too. 

4.Can I air fry / bake Mysore Bonda?

Sadly no. It will not be as tasty & spongy as the deep fried bonda.

5.On what occasions you can make Mysore Bonda?

Mysore Bonda is a perfect, healthy snack with chutney in the evenings. We can make it on special occasions like Diwali, Regional New Year and for religious festivals.