Saturday, September 15, 2007

bonda-paav






vada paav is mumbai's most popular choice of fast food.and the city's fitting answer to the burger.the story goes that one ashok vaidya got an idea.he split a pav and pushed a batata vada into it.presto,it became an instant success.he had his outlet near dadar railway station.he must have become a rich man.

many me-toos have cropped up.for a city where more than half the population lives on the streets,if you have got your mix right,you cannot go wrong.the vada is a potato-based patty.potatoes are mashed and mixed with green chillies.some ginger and mustard seeds are also added and fried in a batter.it is served hot squeezed into a spilt paav and redchilli powder and mint or garlic chutney act as accompaniments.i often buy vadapaav when i am returning home from work from the mtnl vadapaavwala at flora fountain.he produces vadapaavs like a machine.he has a phenomenal reputation.two of these can keep you going for three to four hours.

at home when gb asked me the other day the menu for breakfast,i exclaimed "why not bonda paav". bonda is the south indian version of batata vada.popularly known as mysore bonda. and gb who hails from konkan is adept at it. so in a jiffy,she whipped out hot mysore bondas sandwiched between two pieces of paav.it was hot-temperature wise and contents wise.and there was curryleaves chutney as accoutrement. i was embarking on a long journey to orissa and there couldn't be a better way of insuring myself against any hunger pangs en route.if you haven't tried this before.i urge you to give it a shot.you will be thrilled.

cook the potatoes.peel the skin and mash well. add salt,turmeric powder and mix.cook the peas.chop finely the onion and green chillies and grate the ginger.separately heat oil in a kaddai.splutter mustard seeds.add green chilli,ginger and stir.add the chopped onion,saute well.add the mashed potato and cooked peas. mix well and cook to heat it through. add the garam masala and chopped coriander leaves.mix well.remove from stove.this is the basic vegetable mix to make bonda.it is the same for cutlets and patties too.the recipe has been taken from "andu paatti's cookbook" by andal rangaswamy.a heaven-sent guide for novices like me.

and now make small lemonsize balls of the veggie mix.mix half a cup of chana dal flour,half a cup of rice flour,half a teaspoon salt,half teaspoon chilli powder and add enough water to make a thick batter.heat oil in a kadai for deep frying. dip a potato ball in the batter,coat it well all around and slide it into the hot oil.add 5-6 bondas in the oil and let them fry. when done a little turn them around and fry until they are evenly golden brown all around.when done scoop out the oil.fry the rest the same way.serve hot with coconut chutney or tomato sauce.

if you haven't made mysore bonda before,go ahead.now.you wouldn't get an easier way of preparing it.and after the hot bondas have been scooped out,wedge them inbetween two unsuspecting paavs.and then you have a giant of a bonda-paav in front of you. maker's pride,neighbour's envy.

6 comments:

maya said...

gs - I was so inspired by this posting that I copied down the recipe and will give it a try. Somehow my memory of bondas is less than positive. But these mysore bonda-burgers looked great! and the chutney too. I'll report back on my results. Can't promise they'll equal gb's though.

gs said...

hi maya
mb is one of my favourite snacks.gb suggested that she would make it for breakfast.not sure whether that alone would fill my stomach,i suggested mbpaav to her. and she jumped upon the idea and did a pretty good job.am sure yours will turn out well too. andal patti's iyengar recipe is tried and tested over the years and sure to fire succcessfully. look forward to your results and thanks for peeping in.

K said...

Uncle..>Can u tell me how to do the chutney for it also..the green thing in ur picture...I want to make it for a pot luck party this weekend...I enjoyed u r archives..Keep writing

gs said...

hi kavya
thanks for reading my blog and liking the last post on bondapaav.
the formula is as under:
take a bunch of coriander leaves(kothmari/hari dhania).wash and remove the root and hard sterns and chop the rest.put 2 green chillies in a mixer and add the chopped dhania with 1/2 to 1 tsp salt and a small marblesize tamarind.add enough water to make a smooth thin chutney.you can add juice of a lemon instead of tamarind.add 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds while grinding.2 teaspoons of grated coconut.1/2 tsp sugar and a dash of ginger.voila! you have gb's dhania chutney recipeif .you want more recipes do let me know.

Lotus Reads said...

gs, this is fabulous! I haven't eaten vada/bonda pau in soooooo long! Maybe tomorrow I'll go to our local Indian restaurant here called "Bombay Bhel" and demand one even it's not on their menu!

gs said...

hello lr
see,what good it does to you when you read such posts! try bondapaav.you will love it.