Golibaje | Mangalore Bajji | Authentic Mangalorean Savoury Fritters
“Nale raje…golibaje…(kannada). Amger yevn bobo khaizay….(konkani)”. Growing up in the 80’s and 90’s, when the school would break for the holidays, we would rush out screaming these above lines, which were a mix of kannada and konkani, basically saying “Tomorrow is a holiday, and we are making golibaje. Come over and have some”.
Mangalore has a variety of drool-worthy all-day snacks ranging from the Buns, Biscuit-rotti, Sanjeera and a variety of Fritters. The goli-baje would sit right at the top of not just the fritter list but, it is one of the most loved snack of them all.
Terms like “top of the list” and “most loved” may make you think it might be quite complex and elaborate to make. But, the truth is these are among the easiest to prepare. In essence, they are nothing but deep fried dough balls! Comfort resides at the heart of every step of the golibaje experience, from making the batter/dough to endlessly devouring them like there’s no tomorrow.
Known as Golibaje in Mangalore and Udupi – the undivided South Kanara region, these are called by different names elsewhere. In Mumbai, they are known as S.K. Pakoda (South Kanara Pakoda) but generally, outside Mangalore-Udupi, they are known as Mangalore Bajji. Some even call them Mysore Bonda but golibaje are nowhere related to Mysore Bonda.
During my Bangalore days, when visiting any hotel, if the waiter would tell me they have Mangalore Bajji, I would feel happy but irritated at the same time. Happy because I can devour them but irritated hearing people say “mangalore bajji” For me it has always been golibaje.
How to make Golibaje
The process is pretty straight-forward and simple. We first need to make the batter/dough and leave it to ferment for a few hours before deep frying. To make the dough, all purpose flour is mixed with the filler ingredients like green Chillies, coconut, ginger and curry leaves which impart the necessary zing to this snack.
Yoghurt is added to the mix to form a thick sticky dough, followed by water to make it a loose sticky dough with consistency in-between that of dough and batter (you can substitute the yoghurt with buttermilk and skip the water). This dough is then left to ferment for atleast 3 hours. You can even leave this overnight in the refrigerator.
Please do note that some recipes call for the addition of rice flour/ besan to crisp up the exterior of the golibaje. However, tempting this may sound, it will not be an authentic golibaje and will be more like a Bonda. For the authentic spongy gooey golibaje, use only all-purpose flour.
Once the dough has rested and fermented, just before frying the golibaje, add some baking soda to the dough and mix well and heat the oil for frying. Drop lime sized dough balls into the oil and fry until they puff up slightly and turn light golden brown. Take them out and leave to drain on a paper towel. They will continue to cook in the residual heat and attain a slightly darker shade of golden brown.
If the dough is too runny, it will be challenging to shape the golibaje and we will end up with random shapes. Ideally, the shape should be roughly spherical but even if it is not, it will still taste amazing. If done right, you will end up with Golibaje which are golden brown on the outside with a spongy feel and gooey texture on the inside.
These are best enjoyed hot, dunked in some coconut chutney while sipping on some South-Indian filter coffee. Enjoy!
Golibaje
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Wok/ Pot for deep frying
- Slotted spoon
Ingredients
- 300 gm All Purpose Flour
- 300 gm Yoghurt (see notes)
- 2 tsp Salt
- ¼ cup Coconut wedges
- 3 pc Green Chillies, thinly sliced/ minced
- 1 inch Ginger finely chopped
- 2 sprig Curry leaves, finely chopped
- ½ cup Water
- 2 tsp Baking soda
- Vegetable Oil, for deep frying
Instructions
Making the Batter/ Dough:
- In a large enough mixing bowl, sift the All-purpose flour and salt
- Add the coconut wedges, green Chillies, Ginger and curry leaves and give it a good mix
- Follow this with the yoghurt and mix until all ingredients are well combined into a thick but sticky dough
- Add the water and mix until well combined into a loose but sticky dough. The consistency should be in between that of a dough and batter
- Let it rest for atleast 3 hours. You can even leave it overnight in the fridge
Making the Golibaje:
- After the dough has rested, add the baking soda and mix well. If the batter was refrigerated, keep it aside for sometime to come to room temperature
- Heat enough oil to medium heat, for deep frying.
- Drop lime sized dough balls into the oil (use two spoons to help portion and shape the dough)
- Deep fry until they puff up and turn golden brown
- With the help of a slotted spoon, take them out and allow to drain over a paper towel
- Serve hot along with coconut chutney!
Notes
- Preferably use sour yoghurt for the best tasting golibaje. In case, the yoghurt isn’t sour, add a dash of lime juice to the batter
- You can substitute the yoghurt with Buttermilk, in which case you can skip the water or use very little of it
- Serve the golibaje hot. They turn chewy and rubbery when they cool down