Mangalore Buns | Fried Banana Buns | How to Make Soft and Fluffy Mangalore Buns

How to Make Soft and Fluffy Mangalore Buns

Hello Foodies,

Deliciously soft and fluffy Mangalore Buns is the most popular and loved breakfast or tea time snack in the Southern part of India(coastal region of Karnataka). These are made using overripe bananas and flour and the dough fermented in the Instant Pot. So that when deep-fried, they give you an aerated, super soft, puffed doughnuts or what we in India call, puris.

Mangalore buns are nothing but fried banana poori, the fermentation of dough along with banana gives it a texture like a bun. With a sweet taste in it, the banana adds softness and fermentation gives the bun texture. This goes well with curry, chutney, and sambar. If you want to make it in the morning, you can prepare the dough night and keep it overnight for fermentation(if not using an Instant Pot). If you want you can replace half the amount with wheat flour too.

Video Recipe:

The recipe is quite simple and I have modified the recipe and fermented the dough into the instant pot. Traditionally they use Vanaspati Ghee, but here in the recipe, I have used ghee, instead of Vanaspati ghee or dalda. To enhance the taste of buns, I have added cumin seeds that give a nice taste and flavor to buns.

Some More Indian Bread Recipes to Try:

Preparation Time: 10 Minutes; Cook Time: 20 Minutes
Fermentation Time: 2 Hours
Each Mangalore Bun Contains 123 Cal.

Ingredients:

1 Medium Sized Ripe Bananas
2 Cups All-Purpose Flour/Maida
2 Tbsp Sugar
Salt to taste
1 Tsp Cumin Seeds
¼ Tsp Baking Soda
¼ Cup Curd/Yogurt/Dahi
1 Tbsp Ghee/Clarified Butter
Oil for deep frying

Instructions:

To Prepare the Dough:

Peel and mash the ripe banana using fork(I have used over ripen banana that I had)
Now add sugar, yogurt, ghee, to the mashed banana and mix well(Use a whisk to mix it or use a blender to blend it fine).
Now, add baking soda and mix everything well.
Add all-purpose flour, salt, and cumin seeds and knead to make a soft dough.
Knead for 5-6 minutes(I have not added any water if you need you can add 2-3 tbsp yogurt). You would not need any additional water to make the dough.
Once the dough has kneaded, apply the oil to avoid crust formation.
Cover it with a clean and damp muslin cloth or with the lid.
Let this rest on the counter for 8 hours or overnight(if not using Instant Pot)
The dough would be elastic once it has rested enough, i.e. after the fermentation process.

To Proof the Dough in the Instant Pot:

Transfer the dough into the bowl and cover it with the lid.
Transfer the dough bowl to the Instant Pot and cover the pot with the glass lid or with any plate that fits the pot(even you can use the instant pot's main lid too).
Ferment the dough using the yogurt function of the Instant Pot.
Set the time for 2 hours.
You can apply some oil on the surface of the dough to avoid the drying out of the dough.
Once the dough has fermented for 2 hours, take out the dough.
After the fermentation, the dough would be elastic.
Give the dough a good knead and divide it into equal size balls or portions.

To Roll the Buns/Poori:

Dip a dough ball into the flour and roll using a rolling pin.
Poll out buns/puris into a circular shape around 2 ½ to 3 inches in diameter(I have used flour for rolling buns you can use oil too).

To Fry the Mangalore Buns / Banana Pooris:

Check if the oil is hot, by dropping a tiny bit of dough into the oil. The oil is hot enough when dropped, the dough comes up immediately.
Drop the pooris into the hot oil carefully, they start to puff up, flip them over, keep them pressed under the oil for a few seconds, that helps the bun puff up more.
Once they are cooked on both sides and are golden brown, remove the buns from the oil and place it on the plate lined with a paper towel.
Similarly, prepare and fry remaining buns.
Serve it with Veg. Korma, Coconut Chutney or enjoy it as a tea time snack.

Serving Options:

I have served it with Veg. Korma, as my family loves it with korma.
Serve these yummy, soft, fluffy buns on their own or with coconut chutney, sambar. They also taste great with potato bhaji or piping hot tea.
Buns taste great while they are hot or cold and can be stored for 2-3 days.

Tips To Make Mangalore Buns:

Bananas tend to make the dough dark as it ferments, so it's normal to see a darker dough.
If you are in a hurry then you can follow the same and skip fermenting time, make regular poori too. But texture and taste comes only if fermented and matches the traditional ones.
These puris are neither too sweet nor like regular salt puri too.
One can use All Purpose Flour/Maida/Plain flour instead of whole wheat flour
I have used locally available banana
Adjust the amount of sugar you add according to your palate. The more sugar you add, the darker your buns will turn out to be on deep frying.
The more you knead the dough the fluffier the buns become on deep frying.
The number of buns you can make out of the dough prepared depends on the size of balls of dough.

Dietary Comment:

The calorie count is based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Per serving contains 123 calories, along with 19.6 g carbohydrates, 3.4 g fats, and 3 g protein.
Portion size can always be increased or decreased depending on your health goals and activity level.
(Please keep in mind that the nutritional information is calculated using a nutrition facts calculator. It is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on products used).

Good Time To Eat:

It is good to eat Mangalore Buns for breakfast, lunch, brunch, or as a dessert or evening snack.

If you make this recipe, share your food picture with hashtag #aaichisavali on Instagram and Facebook so that everyone can enjoy it too!
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