Goli Bajji is Mangalore’s favorite 5 pm snack! Like the name puts it, these are ‘goli’-sized fritters that are crispy, light and fluffy – all at once!
Goli Bajji (also known as goli baje and Mangalore bonda) is a Mangalore classic street food snack that I think everyone deserves to know about. These deep-fried golis of goodness are just perfect dunked into some coconut chutney and paired with a piping hot cup of chai.
Now traditionally, the batter for this Mangalore bajji is fermented overnight to give us that pillow-y soft texture on the inside. But I’ve got a trick to give you that same incredible texture in half the time: using leftover dosa batter!
Make this for your next evening snack and you’ll keep coming back to this recipe. So easy and just totally hits the spot ❤️
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Ingredients Overview
We combine flour (maida + besan) with tangy curd, some dosa batter, salt, sugar, water, and then add in curry leaves, green chillies, onions, jeera, grated fresh coconut to bring the batter together. Just before deep frying, we add in a pinch of baking soda – and then watch these little golis rise to the top of the hot oil!
Frequently Asked Questions
Goli bajji is made using a fermented batter of flour, curd, herbs and spices. In this recipe, I’ve added dosa batter to quicken the fermentation process.
The light and fluffy texture of these Mangalore bajjis comes from the specific ingredients and measurements followed in this recipe. Replacing maida with whole wheat flour will make these incredibly dense and not like the soft bondas we want.
The recipes for the two are quite the same! The batter varies from the flour and curd mixture to one with urad dal and raw rice (which is similar to this recipe with the addition of dosa batter). The main difference is the regional familiarity. You’ll find that there are a lot of names for this dish – from bajji to bonda to punugulu.
The consistency of the batter is key here! It should be not too thick and not too thin. Make sure to follow the proportions in the recipe to get it just right. Also make sure to let your batter rest for 3-4 hours so that the dough ferments well.
I need you guys to try this Mangalore favorite snack of mine! These are absolutely incredible and I just know you are going to love them.
I’ll be sharing a lot more of my Mangalore recipes like this Mangalore Crab Curry with you guys this month. So make sure to give them a try and send me pics over on my IG @my_foodstory!
Watch How To Make Goli Bajji Video
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Preparing the batter
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Add maida, gram flour, curds, dosa batter to a mixing bowl.
1 cup all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon gram flour, ½ – ¾ cup curds, ⅓ cup dosa batter
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Mix it well to get a thick & sticky batter.
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Add salt, sugar, jeera, green chillies, curry leaves & chopped coconut, give a good mix to combine it all together.
¾ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, ½ teaspoon jeera, 2-3 green chillies, 20 curry leaves, 3 tablespoons finely chopped coconut
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Cover & rest it for 3-4 hours.
Frying bajji
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Add cooking soda to the rested batter and whisk very well in a circular motion for 30 seconds.
½ teaspoon cooking soda
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It should be of thick, dropping consistency and not pouring or flowing consistency.
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Heat oil in a kadai or deep pan until hot. Test by dropping a small portion of batter to the oil. It should sizzle and rise to the surface immediately without turning brown. If it sinks, it means the oil is not hot enough.
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Take a tablespoon of batter in your hand and drop into the oil. They will double in size, so do not make them too big.
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Do not overcrowd the kadai as the bajjis may stick together. Fry them on medium heat until golden and crisp. Remove them onto a kitchen towel.
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Fry the bajjis in batches till all the batter is used up. These are best served hot as they turn soggy upon cooling.
- Using chopped coconut is optional, but it adds a tasty bite in the goli bajji.
- Resting time is important to get best results. It helps ferment the batter properly.
Calories: 201kcal, Carbohydrates: 28g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 15mg, Sodium: 741mg, Potassium: 62mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 193IU, Vitamin C: 103mg, Calcium: 130mg, Iron: 2mg