Oooo. The name sounds intriguing, right?! It’s festive season people. So, let us munch on some snacks too along with all those sweets! Golibaje – a crispy and delicious tea-time snack recipe from the Manglorean (or Karnataka) cuisine.
Golibaje is a fried snack made with all purpose flour, sour curd and other ingredients. These are crispy on the outside and soft and spongy on the inside. Golibaje is very famous in the Udupi region and is also called as Mangalore bonda by people of other region.
Traditionally, the batter is left to ferment for hours to get the sourness. But, to make it instantly, you can use baking soda like me. Also, to bring in the sourness, we will be adding sour curd to prepare the batter.
I made this on the day before Ugadi. They were too good that I was not even able to keep count of how many I was munching on. Especially, when you serve it with some chutney by the side along with tea or coffee, by the time you realize, your plate will be empty!
So, from my part, I am warning you before-hand! Golibaje is so very tempting! So, beware! Lol! Back to topic, there is yet another bonda variety – Mysore bonda. The difference between Mysore bonda and golibaje is in the ingredients used. While we prepare the batter for the former using urad dal, for the latter we use maida or all purpose flour and curd.
A few tips that you can follow while making the batter for golibaje is – you can use some rice flour for that extra crispiness. Also, I added some sugar too. Sugar enhances the hue of the golibaje and also makes it crispy.
For the perfect golibaje, it is very important to beat the batter and also rest it for sometime before frying it. Beating the batter with your hand helps to incorporate air into the batter, which makes the golibaje soft and fluffy.
Also, rest the batter for atleast one hour before frying. This helps it to ferment a bit too. If you are planning to follow the traditional method to make the golibaje, that is fermenting the batter for a few hours to overnight, then skip using baking soda and sour curd in it. The batter will ferment on its own when let to rest.
Golibaje tastes out of the world when served hot with coconut chutney. I prepared chutney using just fried grams and coriander leaves as the main ingredients along with a few other simple ingredients. This was the best combination. I don’t even have words to describe the combination. It is a very quick and easy chutney recipe which I will share very soon.
Enjoy this delicious tea-time snack with your loved ones. Oh, and don’t forget to have it with some hot tea or coffee alongside for a perfect evening snack, Stay safe; stay healthy! Happy cooking and eating!
While you are here, do checkout my other snack recipes to accompany your everyday evening coffee or tea! Also, checkout my sweet recipes to prepare with these snacks for the perfect sweet and hot combination!
Has meal planning been a little bit difficult during this lockdown? Look through my No Veggies, 21-Day Lockdown Series for ideas on what to cook during this lockdown.
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Golibaje
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp hing
- 1 inch ginger, finely chopped
- 2-3 green chili, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp finely chopped curry leaves
- 1 tsp sugar
- salt, as required
- 2 cups curd
- oil, for frying
Instructions
- Except for the curd and oil, add the rest of the ingredients to a mixing bowl.
- Add curd and mix to form a batter. Beat the batter with your hand for 5-7 minutes to incorporate air into it. Let it rest for 2 hours before frying.
- Heat oil in kadai on medium flame.
- Mix the batter once and drop small amounts of the batter into the hot oil.
- Fry the bondas until golden-brown on all sides.
- Drain the bondas onto a plate. Repeat the process for the rest of the batter.
- Serve golibaje hot with coconut chutney or green chutney.
Notes
- The batter should neither be too thick nor too thin.
- Add some more flour or curd to adjust consistency.
- Beat the batter for 5-7 minutes to incorporate air into the batter. This makes sure that the golibajes are airy and not dense.
- Rest the batter for atleast an hour before frying.
- Fry the golibaje in medium flame. Make sure not to burn them.
- Adding sugar will give the golibajes a beautiful golden color. But, it is completely optional.
