Aloo Bonda w/ Coconut Chutney

Deep Frying is a big no-no in my house. Either because me and V are not in the best health, best shape or that the house starts stinking after a while. We never used to notice when we deep fried earlier, that there used to be a certain smell that you cannot get rid of easily in the house. I guess that is where my love for baking began.
However, I will admit that frying has its own taste and it can be quite addictive. We very rarely deep fry as is evident from my blog posts but I will never say never!!

Aloo Bonda has become one of my favorites after one of the cooks at my mom's made this and I fell in love with it.And yes, my Bonda has a few ears too:-)

3 potatoes, boiled with the skins
4 Curry leaves
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1 1/2 tsp Urad Dal
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 inch ginger, chopped into pieces
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
5 green chillies, finely chopped
Pinch of Hing

Batter-
1 cup Besan/Gram flour
Salt to taste
Pinch of Baking soda(Optional)
Oil to deep fry

Aloo Stuffing

• Peel the skin off of boiled potatoes and mash them; Set aside
• Heat a tbsp of oil and fry Urad Dal, Cumin seeds and Mustard seeds
• Fry for a couple of min until they turn golden brown
• Add the green chillies, curry leaves and turmeric
• Add a whiff of hing
• Combine till the potato mixture is well coated with the seasoning
• Divide the mixture into golf sized balls
• Set aside

Batter-

• Combine the besan with enough water to make it a smooth batter.
• Stir in the salt and baking soda, if using

Bonda -

• Heat Oil in a wok. To test if the oil is hot enough, drop a small drop of batter and look to see if it turns golden brown and floats
• Dip the potato ball in the ball and evenly coat it
• Drop it slowly into the oil and fry until it is golden brown
• Continue till all the balls have been fried
• Serve them hot with coconut chutney
  

Coconut Chutney-
1 cup Dahlia(Putnala pappu)
1/2 cup fresh grated coconut
1/4 cup roasted peanuts
6 green chillies, finely chopped
1 inch Ginger, finely chopped
1 tbsp Ghee
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1 tsp Mustard seeds
Pinch of Hing

• Blend the Pappu, Coconut, Peanuts, chillies, ginger with enough water to make it a smooth paste; You can also add buttermilk if you would like slightly sour taste
• Heat a tbsp of Ghee
• Add Cumin seeds and Mustard seeds
• Add some hing
• Mix it quickly to the blended coconut paste