Kara Boondhi

     On a weekend, when I was preparing Madras Mixture for a party, I managed to click some pics at each and every stage of the process. Thats when I got the stepwise pics of Plain Sev & Kara Boondhi. So, the pics here might contain some remnants of Plain Sev in the oil, which was made a few mins before starting with the Kara Boondhi. 
     This yummy spicy crispy snack is easy to try at home. It can be had as an anytime snack, can be had with sambar/rasam rice, topped up on a plain yoghurt raita or can be used in chaats. Do make this versatile snack at home & enjoy !!!

Preparation Time: 10 mins || Cook Time: 30 mins || Yields: 3 cups ||  Category: South Indian savouries / festival savouries

Ingredients:
1. Besan flour (Gram flour) - 2 cups
2. Rice flour - 2tbsp
3. Chilly powder - 1 tbsp
4. Salt - as required
5. Hing (Asafoetida) - 2tsp
6. Baking soda (Sodium bi carbonate) - 1 tsp
7. Curry leaves - a sprig

Method:
1. Mix the flours, salt, hing, baking soda and half the amount of chilly powder in a bowl. Add water little by little and mix well without any lumps, to the consistency of batter for bajji. Neither too runny nor too thick.

2. Meanwhile heat oil in a kadai & drop little batter to see if the temperature of oil is correct. If the heat is just right, the batter drops would rise to the oil surface. Take the long Boondhi laddle & pour a laddleful of the batter using a small laddle. Gently and quickly press the flour in the Boondhi laddle with the small laddle. Avoid overlapping of boondhis. 

3. Once the oil is full with a layer of boondhis, wipe the boondhi laddle clean from batter until the next round. Let the boondhis get cooked until the oil sound slightly subsides. Now flip the boondhis to other side using another perforated laddle.

4. After 2 mins, when the colour of the boondhis get slightly golden, take them using the perforated laddle and drain them in a kitchen tissue. Repeat the process for the remaining batter. Once completed, give a resting time of 5 mins & then mix the crisp boondhis with the reserved chilli powder, salt and hing. Add curry leaves fried in oil. Give a toss and ensure the boondhis are coated with the spices.

Suggestions:

• If the batter consistency is not right, the boondhis will not be in a good shape.
• If the batter is too runny, the boondhis will fall on the same place and form a platelike combined mass. (I encountered this while making)
• If the batter is too thick, the boondhis may get tails attached to them.
• Adding a pinch of baking soda is optional. It gives crispy boondhis.
• If you like the flavour of garlic & other spcies, you can add crushed garlic or pepper, groundnut or cashews while frying curry leaves in oil & mix with the boondhi.
• If you dont have the typical boondhi laddle, still you can make this snack if you have 2 perforated laddles. One for making boondhis the other for draining them from oil.

Enjoy the kara boondhi with hot coffee or as topping for boondhi raita, chaats etc..