Meri Rasoi: Mangalore buns / Banana poori

Mangalore buns or Banana poori are a mangalorean speciality. Growing up, my mum would make it often whenever we had too many ripe bananas lying around. Nowadays , we have the option of making Banana Bread but in those days, mangalore buns is what my mum would make.

Really ripe bananas work really well in this recipe. The dough is prepared mixing together bananas, yogurt, sugar and flour into a dough. It is set aside for a good 5-6 hours. Later, the dough is kneaded again. We make small balls out of the dough. Roll them out into circles just like poori (remember not to roll too thin). They rolled circles and then deep fried.

INGREDIENTS:
Note: All measurements are based on the US measuring cup and spoon sizes where 1 cup = 235 ml

Banana : 2 large
Sugar : 3 tbsp (Adjust according to taste)
Baking soda : 1/8 tsp
Salt : 1/2 tsp (or as per taste)
Cumin seeds / Jeera : 1.5 tsp
Yogurt : 1/4 cup
All purpose flour / Maida : 2 cups
Oil : 1 tbsp + more for deep frying

PROCEDURE:

Peel the bananas, add sugar and mash them together really well . The sugar should get dissolved. Add the cumin seeds, salt, baking soda and the yogurt. Mix well.

Slowly add the flour and knead it into a soft dough. Finally add 1 tbsp of oil and give it a final knead. Cover and set it aside in a warm place for about 5-6 hours.

Now, knead the dough again and make golf sized balls. Take one ball, dust it with some flour (as an alternative , you can dip it in a little oil). Roll it into a circle just like a poori. Remember , not to roll it too thin.

Heat the oil. When hot, add the rolled circle to the hot oil. Using the back of the spatula, push the circles down in the oil to help them fluff up. Note: Oil should be HOT, else the buns will become hard. Flip the buns to the other side so that both the sides are evenly cooked and have a nice dark golden color.