Overripe bananas making their way into banana cakes and banana bread is something we all know of. But did you know you can also use the bananas to make Mangalore buns? As the name suggests, buns, as it is also called, is a popular snack of the South Canara region. A favorite in the coastal cities of Mangalore, Udupi and Kundapur, it is eaten during breakfast as well as an evening snack. Though called buns, these are not baked. The dish is similar to puri (whole-wheat deep-fried bread), except that it soft, spongy, sweetish and salty. Buns can be prepared from either whole wheat or all-purpose refined flour and makes use of curds for fermentation. It has a thicker texture than the normal puris and tastes best when served hot and with coconut chutney.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cup whole wheat/refined/all-purpose flour
• 2 overripe bananas
• ½ cup sour curd
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp oil
• Pinch of baking soda
• Salt to taste
• Water as required
• Oil for frying

Method

• In a large mixing bowl take the overripe bananas and smash by hand until soft and homogeneous.  Add sugar, salt, cumin seeds, baking soda and curds and mix well.
• Add the flour and a tbsp of oil and mix well; add water as required and knead well to a soft, smooth dough.
• Cover and allow to rest for 6-8 hours.
• After rested, knead the dough for a bit again and divide into equal sized balls.
• Heat oil in a pan for frying.
• Use a rolling pin and roll out the balls just like puris except that it needs to be a bit thick.   Dust flour as required.
• Fry on medium heat, flip over so that both sides are fried.
• Serve with coconut chutney.

This article was originally published in Seema Magazine. For more recipes, click here and here.