Bondi Bajo (Banana Blossom Fritters)

Bondi Bajo is a recent kitchen endeavor. Long back I had noted down this recipe in a hope to post this as I find a fresh banana flower. Unfortunately now I don't remember the source. 

Banana blossom (In Konkani we call it Bondi) is a favorite of mine. My mother makes the best upkari. Recently I found a giant, fresh banana flower in a farmer's market and bought it thinking of this recipe. Making fritters using this flower was completely new to me but I was confident that it would turn great. As expected they turned out very crispy and delicious. Do give this a try if you find a banana blossom. I am sure you will enjoy it as much as we did :-)

Ingredients:

• Banana Blossom (Bondi)*, chopped- 4 cups
• Besan/ Chickpea flour- 3/4 cup
• Rice Flour - 3/4 cup
• Green chili, chopped - 1-3
• Red Chilli powder - To taste
• Ginger, grated- 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves, chopped - Few
• Onion, small sized - 1
• Salt- To taste
• Oil - For deep frying

* Substitute cabbage if you cant find banana blossom.

Procedure:

Take a banana blossom (bondi).

Now discard the first few tough layers (3-4).

Then wash it and pat dry using a paper towel or cloth. 

Now cut through the banana flower (horizontally as well as vertically) as shown  in the video below (click on it).

It looks like this.

Then chop it to get fine pieces. 

Put the chopped banana blossom in water (to avoid blackening).  Continue the same procedure until you get the desired quantity (I used half of the big flower).

In a big bowl add rice flour, besan, salt, red chilli powder, grated ginger, chopped green chilli and chopped curry leaves. Mix well.

Then add drained chopped banana blossom (bondi) and chopped onion (don't add water) to the flour mixture. Mix well until it comes together.
Now add small portions of the mixture in the pre heated oil until it turns golden brown.

Once done, drain the excess oil using a paper towel. Continue frying the rest of the mixture in batches. Bondi Bajo is ready!!

Serve it hot. Above measurement serves 3-4 people.

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Orange Sheera (Orange- Semolina Pudding)

Orange Sheera is one more recent experiment in my kitchen. Few months back I came across this recipe. I wanted to try it someday as I love orange flavor. Finally tried it with slight variations and it turned out very good. The orange zest really brought out the orange flavor in the pudding.

I love orange flavor in baked goods. Hence I made the courage to try out this recipe and I am glad that I did. The taste was very surprising. It is tangy and at the same time it is also sweet. It is a quick and yummy dessert. Do give it a try if you are an orange lover.

Ingredients:

• Semolina/Sooji/ Rava- 1/2 cup
• Orange Juice (freshly squeezed)- 1 cup
• Sugar- 1/2 cup
• Orange zest- 1/2- 1 tsp
• Cloves- 2-3
• Cashew nut - Few
• Ghee* (clarified butter) - 1/4 cup

Procedure:

Wash the orange and remove the zest (only the orange part).

Then remove the juice from it.

Start heating the juice along with the zest in a pot.

Simultaneously in another pan, start heating ghee. Then add cloves and broken cashews. Fry until it starts to change color. Then add the semolina. Fry until you get a nice aroma.

Then add in the boiling orange juice to the roasted semolina with continuous stirring.

When the juice get absorbed completely, add sugar.

Mix well and heat the mixture further until it becomes little dry. Then turn off the heat.

Orange Sheera is ready!!

Serve it warm or at room temperature. Above measurement serves two people.

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Jeevkadgi Chips (Breadfruit Chips)

Jeevkadgi Chips is a recent try in my kitchen. In Konkani, Jeevkadgi means breadfruit. This post is inspired from my friend's mother. 

Few years back, a good friend of mine had got me these chips. It was absolutely delicious. Till then I never knew that we can make chips using breadfruit. Recently when I found a breadfruit in my farmers market, it reminded me of those delicious chips. Hence I decided to try it in my kitchen and I succeeded . They turned out very good. The process is very time consuming but its worth all the effort!!

Ingredients:

• Breadfruit- 1
• Salt- 2 tsp
• Water - 1/4 cup
• Oil - For deep frying

Procedure:

Take a fresh (and firm) breadfruit. Cut it into two.

Cut each portion into half to get a total of four pieces. Now cut each piece into 3-4 pieces. Then remove the core.

Then slowly trim the peel of each piece.

Continue cleaning the remaining pieces. Once done start slicing each big piece (as thin as possible).

Once done, start heating the oil. Then in a small bowl add water and salt. Mix well. Keep this salt solution aside. Now slowly add few slices in hot oil. 

Fry them until they get a deep brown color. Once the chips get deep brown color, add 1 tsp of salt water to the oil (then stand far as the oil starts to splutter). Once the bubbles reduce, remove the crispy chips and drain the excess oil on a paper towel. Continue frying the rest of the breadfruit slices.
Jeevkadgi Chips is ready!!

Store them in an air tight container.

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Kyane Podi (Pan Fried Ripe Plantain)

Kyane Podi is a simple, low fat recipe. I got this recipe from my mother. This recipe is simple and very easy to put together. The sliced ripe plantains are well seasoned and then rolled in semolina. Finally it is pan fried to get a crisp outer cover.

Generally it is made using a special variety of banana - 'Nendrabale'. It is abundantly cultivated in Kerala. I wanted to prepare this from a long time. But somehow I couldn't get hold on good ripe plantains. This time I was lucky enough to get good ones. This is the first time I got them and it tasted somewhat like 'Nendrabale'. So decided to make them and they turned out just like the ones I remember eating as a kid. I love this recipe as it is very different. Do try it and I am sure kids will love this!!

Ingredients:

• Ripe Plantains- 2
• Red chilli powder - To taste
• Sooji/Semolina- 3-4 Tbsp (adjust accordingly)
• Oil - 1-2 tsp (for shallow frying)
• Salt- To taste 

Procedure:

Choose a plantain which is ripe (the skin should turn partially black).

Now chop off the ends and remove the peel. Then slice it as shown below (around 2 inch long and 1/2 inch thick).

Then put it in a bowl or plate and sprinkle red chilli powder and salt. Mix gently until every piece gets well seasoned.

Now take semolina in a small plate and start rolling each piece until it gets well coated on either sides. 

Then place them on a pre heated skillet. Add little oil on each piece and then allow it to cook on medium flame.

Once it turns crisp and golden brown, flip it.

Remove from the pan when done. Kyane Podi is ready!!

Serve it hot or warm. It can be served as a snack or as a side dish to rice and curry. Above measurement serves 2-3 people.

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Ponsa Mulika (Ripe Jackfruit Fritters) ~ Semolina based

Ponsa Mulika is 'the most' popular preparation using ripe jackfruit. I got this recipe from my mother. Ponsa Mulika is a simple jackfruit based fritter which is sweetened using jaggery. 

During summer, jackfruit is available in abundance where I grew (coastal Karnataka). Every year, my mother makes it without fail. This is indeed a delicacy and I bet you cannot stop at one!! It had been really a long time since I had this. When I found ripe jackfruit at the Asian stores, it was like a treasure and Mulika is the first thing that came to my mind. Do try it whenever you get a chance and I am sure you are going to impress your loved ones!!

Ingredients:

• Ripe Jackfruit, chopped- 1 1/2 cups
• Jaggery, crushed - 1/2 cup
• Sooji/ Semolina- 1 1/4 cup
• Grated coconut- 2-3 Tbsp
• Black sesame seeds- 1 1/2 tsp
• Cardamom pods- 4-5
• Oil - For deep frying

Notes:
Jackfruit: Choose a jackfruit which is very sweet. We cannot afford to add more jaggery. Jaggery tends to increase the moisture in the final mixture which in turn makes the fritters more greasy. 
Semolina: Use semolina which is medium coarse. This gives a nice texture to the fritters.

Procedure:

Clean the ripe jackfruit. Discard the seeds and chop the clean jackfruit pods.

Now take the chopped jackfruit along with crushed jaggery, grated coconut and cardamom seeds in a blender.

Grind it into a smooth paste (without adding water).

Now transfer this paste into a mixing bowl. Then add semolina and black sesame seeds.

Mix well and allow the mixture to rest for 5- 10 minutes (at this point test the mixture for sweetness). Meanwhile pre heat the oil on medium heat.

Once the oil is hot enough (a small amount of mixture dropped in sizzles right away), drop small balls of the mixture (small lemon size) one by one (don't touch it for a minute as it can break apart easily).

Allow it to cook until it turns a uniform deep golden brown color. Once done, transfer it on a paper towel. Continue frying with the rest of the mixture. Ponsa Mulika is ready!!

Serve it warm or at room temperature. It stays good for 1-2 days without refrigeration.

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Ponsa Gharai ( Ripe Jackfruit Paayasam)

Ponsa Gharai is a very popular jaggery based seasonal dessert in Coastal Karnataka. In Konkani, ponosu means ripe jackfruit. I got this recipe from my mother. 

Ripe jackfruit is abundantly available in the summer time and this is one of the preparations made using the jackfruit. Pudding is made by cooking it slightly and then sweetened using jaggery. Finally it is made richer using coconut milk...!! Does it sound yummy?:-) This dessert always takes me back to childhood. As kids we used to anxiously wait till our mother made yummy delicacies using jackfruit. Those were the days!! Do give this a try and enjoy.

Ingredients:

• Ripe Jackfruit, chopped- 1 cup, heaping
• Sooji/ Semolina- 1/3 cup
• Jaggery - 3/4 cup (vary accordingly)
• Thick coconut milk - 1 1/4 cup
• Cardamom pods- 4-5

Procedure:

Clean the ripe jackfruit. Discard the seeds and chop the clean jackfruit pods.

Now heat water (I used 2 1/2 cups) in a pot. When it comes to a boil add the chopped jackfruit pods.

Allow it to cook for 6-7 minutes on medium heat (or until it is soft but still holds its shape). Then add semolina slowly with continuous stirring (stirring is required to avoid formation of lumps). 
Allow the semolina to cook (here semolina is used as a thickening agent. Some people also add rice paste instead of semolina).

Once the semolina cooks, the mixture thickens. Now add the crushed jaggery.

Mix it and allow it to melt. Once it melts, let the mixture boil for 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Then turn off the heat.

Finally add the cardamom powder and coconut milk. 

Mix well until homogenous. 

Ponsa Gharai is ready!!

Serve it hot or warm. Above measurement serves four people.

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