Aloo Bonda also referred to as Potato Bonda is tasty snack from the South Indian cuisine. It is made with spiced mashed potatoes, that is formed into a ball, covered in a gram flour (besan) & rice flour batter and deep-fried to perfection.
First boil the potatoes in a pan or steamer or a stovetop pressure cooker adding water as needed. Later peel and mash them when still warm.
Heat oil in a frying pan. Add the mustard seeds and urad dal.
Let the mustard seeds splutter and the urad dal become golden in color.
Next add the finely chopped onions and sauté until they are translucent and softened.
Now add the ginger-garlic paste, curry leaves and green chilies. Saute for a minute.
Add the turmeric powder, asafoetida and stir to mix. Next add the coriander leaves and stir again.
Add the mashed potatoes to this mixture or add this sautéed mixture to the potatoes. Stir to combine thoroughly.
If there is moisture, then you can sauté the potato stuffing mixture for a few minutes in a pan.
Add lemon juice & salt. Mix well.
Check the seasonings and add more salt or lemon juice if required.
Make medium sized balls from this mixture. You can slightly flatten them if you prefer.
Making Batter
In a mixing bowl take the gram flour, rice flour, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, asafoetida, salt and baking soda.
Add water as needed. Mix with a small wired whisk to create a thick flowing batter without lumps.
Frying Aloo Bonda
Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or pan. Keep the heat to medium.
Dip each potato ball in the batter and coat it well with the batter.
Gently and carefully place the batter coated potato balls in the medium hot oil.
Fry until golden on both sides. Drain them on paper towels to remove excess oil. Continue to fry the remaining potato bonda in batches.
Serve Aloo Bonda hot or warm with coconut chutney or green coriander chutney or mint chutney.
Notes
Seasonings, spice powders and lemon juice can be adjusted in the potato mixture, according to your taste preferences.
Ensure to add water as required to make a thick batter as a thin batter won't coat the potato balls nicely. This will lead to the potato mixture separating and falling in the hot oil, causing a lot of spluttering and make a mess in the oil.
You can easily make this recipe without adding any onion or garlic to it. Simply add finely chopped ginger or ginger paste.
Want to make spicier bondas? Then, add a few more green chilies in the potato mixture. If you want, you can also add some red chili powder in the potato mixture.