Mangalore bajji : Back after a break with Spongy Goli Baje

No no! I had not forgotten that I have a food blog that I had thought I should update at least once a week. Nor did I have nothing to blog about. But just that I had temporarily lost interest to blog anything! In fact I had lost interest to do anything at all!

Not that I did not cook at all, but all I managed to cook was some mundane rice, rasam, or some palya and chapathi. Neither did I have interest to eat anything exciting, nor to cook, let alone blog it!

Well, blame Dee for this condition on mine. He was away for two weeks, and well, nothing seemed to interest me without him! Hmmmmm..... this may sound a little too crazy, but that’s what it was. I had planned to do a lot of things that I had not found time for, during is absence. Like painting a couple of sketches, blogging all the recipes for which the material is ready, sorting the thousands of photos, going shopping, inviting friends home for a meal, hmmmmm... the list just goes on. And ask me what all I did among the listed ones, and there’s nothing I can claim I did, except to finish reading a book that I had started.
And food was my least priority these two weeks, be it cooking, eating or blogging!

Anyways, he is back in town now, and I am back to cooking and blogging! Check out this wonderful snack - spongy yet crispy Goli baje, or Mangalore bajji as we call it. The crunchy coconut pieces in between the spongy bajjis make it a great snack, which anyone is sure to indulge in! And what’s more? It’s real simple to make!

Goli Baje

Preparation time : 10 min, apart from resting time Cooking time : 15 min Serves : 4 Ingredients: Maida - 1 cup Sour curd - ¾ cup Buttermilk - ¼ cup Green chilies - 3-4, finely chopped Coriander leaves - 2 tsp, finely chopped Curry leaves - 10-12 leaves, finely chopped Ginger - 1” cube, grated Coconut - 2 tsp, cut into small pieces Cooking Soda - 1 pinch Salt - ½ - ¾ tsp, depending on taste Oil for frying Method: • Mix Maida in sour curd, to form a sticky batter, with no lumps • Keep aside for 30 min to 1 hr • Heat oil in a frying pan • While the oil is getting heated, add finely chopped chilies, coriander leave, curry leaves, ginger, a pinch of cooking soda and salt to the maida batter • If the paste is too thick, mix in a little more curd or buttermilk • Make round balls of about 1 inch diameter, and deep fry, 4-5 at a time • Turn around in between, ensuring it is evenly done to a golden brown color • Take out from oil and place on a kitchen towel so that the extra oil is absorbed • Serve hot with chutney / sauce Variations: • A small onion can be chopped and added