Khara-Boondi | A Simple Savoury Delight
In India, sweets are an integral part of the festivities and families exchange sweets as a token of love. These gift boxes of sweets are usually accompanied by a portion of savoury snacks. This is done to balance out one’s palate and not overpower it with the sweets. The most common of these savoury snacks is the Khara Boondi. The word Boondi is derived from the Hindi word Boond – meaning droplets as this snack resembles tiny droplets.
There are two versions of Boondi – the sweet version and the savoury version. The sweet one is famously used in the making of the Boondi Laddoo, while the savoury version can be enjoyed as is or mixed with other savoury condiments to form a savoury mixture or are even used as toppings for certain dishes to add a bit of crunch to them. Although you can pick it easily from a store, it is also very easy to make at home and tastes much better. So why rely on store bought Boondi? I made the Khara-Boondi as an accompaniment to my Dahi-Vada recipe. Read on to know how to make this delightful snack
How to make Khara-Boondi
Usually as a snack by itself, the Khara-Boondi is mixed with few other add-on ingredients to enhance it. Since, I was using these for my Dahi-Vada recipe, I didn’t not use any of the add-on ingredients. But you can use them to enhance it. This Khara-Boondi is nothing but spiced up deep-fried Chickpea batter droplets.
To begin with sift the chickpea flour along with some rice flour, along with paprika, turmeric, asafoetida, baking soda and salt. the rice flour is added to enhance the crispiness of the Boondi. Add water little by little and prepare a thick batter. The consistency of the batter plays an important role in the shape of the Boondi. Ensure the batter is not runny. If it is runny, you will end up with tear-drop shaped boondi at best.
Heat oil to medium-hot. Hold a slotted spoon (with circular slots) directly over the hot oil. Push the batter through the holes, straight into the oil. Do not overcrowd the pan, as the boondi will then clump together. Fry until they turn light golden brown. Remove from the oil and transfer to an absorbent towel. The boondi will darken a bit as they will continue to fry in the residual heat.
If you are using the optional additions viz. the curry leaves, cashews and peanuts, or any other nuts, add them to the oil and fry until the nuts brown a bit. Mix with the boondi and once cooled to room temperature, store in an air-tight container. Done!
Khara Boondi
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Chickpea flour (besan)
- ¼ Cup Rice Flour
- 1 tbsp Paprika/ Kashmiri Chilli Powder (adjust to your preference)
- ½ tsp Turmeric powder
- ⅛ tsp Asafoetida (Hing)
- ½ tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Salt, adjust to taste
- ¾ Cup Water, divided
- Vegetable Oil, for deep frying
Optional Additions – if serving the boondi as a snack by itself
- 1 Sprig Curry leaves
- ¼ Cup Cashews
- ¼ Cup Peanuts
Instructions
- In a big enough mixing bowl, sift the flours along with the paprika, turmeric, asafoetida, baking-soda and salt
- Add half the water and prepare a thick batter. Add more water in parts if needed. The batter needs to be thick and not runny
- Meanwhile, in a medium size pot, bring the oil to medium-hot temperature.
- Hold a slotted spoon (with circular holes) over the pot and push the batter through the holes, straight into the oil.
- Fry the boondi until light golden brown. Transfer to an absorbent kitchen towel. The boondi will darken a bit as they will continue to fry in the residual heat.
- If you are using the optional ingredients, fry them for about half a minute, drain of excess oil. Mix with the boondi.
- Once cooled, transfer the contents to an air-tight container
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