Kara Boondi Recipe | Kara Boondhi

• Besan  Flour – 1 Cup
• Rice Flour  – 2 tbsp
• Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
• Hing – 1 /8 tsp
• Cooking Soda – 1 pinch
• Salt – As Required
• Oil – 1.5 tsp + for deep frying
• Peanuts / Cashews – 2 tbsp
• Curry Leaves – 2 Sprig
• Pepper Powder – 1/2 tsp

1. Sieve besan flour and rice flour to get smooth batter. Measure all the ingredients and keep everything ready. In a large bowl, add besan flour.
2. Then add rice flour, chilli powder, cooking soda, hing and salt. First add little water and whisk to form a thick batter. Don’t pour all the water at a stretch. Now start adding water little by little, the batter consistency should not be thick or watery. If thick the boondhis will have tails or if watery it will fall flat.3. It should be like dosa batter, little watery than it without any lumps. Then pour oil which helps in smooth flowing of batter. These are the two ladles used for making boondhi, big one is for making boondhi and the smaller ones for draining it.
4. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed kadai, first take a spoon and dip the tail of the spoon in the batter and drop little batter in the oil, if the boondhi’s are perfect round in shape then go ahead (I used the same whisk). If the boondhi’s have tail, add little water and if it turns flat, add 1 tbsp of besan flour. Place the big ladle (perforated ladle) above the oil not too high, hold the ladle firmly and pour 1 ladle full of batter over the big ladle. Just spread the batter gently with the same ladle, no need to tap or shake it.
5. Fry till golden brown on both sides and the shhhhh sound ceases. Drain it in tissue paper, do the same with the remaining batter.
6. Fry peanuts and curry leaves in the same oil until crispy.
7. Add the fried peanuts, curry leaves, pepper powder to the boondhi and mix everything well. Cool and store it in an airtight container.

Serve this kara boondhi as an evening snack with hot cup of tea.

1. Always sieve the flour for even and smooth batter.
2. Also whisk the batter well without any lumps.
3. For more bright colour, 2 pinch of turmeric powder can be added.
4. Don’t add more rice flour, else the kara boondhi turns hard. You can make it with plain besan flour and spice powders also.
5. Batter consistency: Is the most important point to be noted here, it should be little watery than the regular dosa batter. If it’s thick, the boondis will have tail and if watery the boondi will fall flat.
6. To check the batter: Dip the whisk or tail side of the spoon in the batter and drop little batter in the oil and if the boondi holds perfect round shape, then the batter consistency is perfect.
7. To troubleshoot: If the boondis have tail, then add very little water to the batter and if it falls flat, then add about 1 or 2 tbsp of besan flour to the batter and whisk well.
8. If you don’t have the boondi ladle / perforated ladle (big one) then normal slotted ladle (used for regular fries) can be replaced, no need to buy new one.
9. Peanuts can be replaced with cashews for this kara boondi recipe.
10. For more flavour, 4 flakes of crushed garlic can be fried in the oil and added to the snack.
11. This boondi can be used for making mixture, boondi raitha, other chat recipes etc.
12. Shelf life of this kara boondi is 15 days when stored in a clean and dry air tight container.

Kara Boondhi