Mangalore buns (banana buns) step-by-step recipe with photos.
I spent my childhood in a small township Kudremukha (now a world heritage site), which is about 100 km from the beautiful coastal town Mangalore in Karnataka. Mangalore was our go-to place when it came to day trips, shopping, and of course beach time! My favourite part of the trip was these delicious Mangalore buns.
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About this recipe
Mangalore buns is a popular breakfast and snack from the Udipi-Mangalore region of Karnataka. These delightfully sweet and soft Mangalore buns (banana buns) are made with overripe bananas and plain flour. They are deep-fried and are technically pooris, not buns. Why are they called bun then – I have no idea! Maybe because they don't absorb even a drop of oil. These mildly sweet buns are served with a spicy chutney which balances the sweetness from the buns, but they also taste great just by themselves.
Fun fact: You call them 'buns' even if there is just one of them. It is always 'Mangalore buns'!
Origin
It is believed that these buns were created by cooks in Udipi to find a way to use up overripe bananas. They added flour to these overripe bananas and deep-fried them which resulted in the creation of this delicious dish.
The dough of these Mangalore buns is made with mashed bananas, yogurt, flour, cumin seeds, salt, and sugar. The dough is then let to ferment overnight (or few hours) before rolling them into thick discs and deep-frying.
Ingredients
Banana: Make sure you use overripe bananas to make these buns.
Plain flour: Plain flour (maida) is used to make these buns; however, you may add a mix of plain flour and whole wheat flour to make these buns.
Yogurt: Make sure the yogurt is at room temperature when adding to the dough.
Sugar: Both plain and raw sugar works well for this dish.
Cumin seeds: Cumin seeds makes these buns very flavourful. It can be replaced with fennel seeds (saunf).
Tips for making perfect Mangalore buns
Make sure the banana you use is overripe. Overripe bananas are sweeter, more aromatic, and adds more flavour to the buns.
Mash the banana well taking care there are no lumps. Dough with lumpy banana will be difficult to roll and will not puff up when deep-fried.
Let the yogurt come to room temperature before adding to the dough.
Serve it with spicy coconut chutney. This will balance the sweetness very well.
Make these delicious poori-like buns and see how good they are for yourself!
Click here for more banana recipes.
Click here to make see how to make an easy, no-cook banana salad, traditionally called balehannu rasayana.
Step by step instructions
1. Mash the bananas well using a fork
2. Add the rest of the ingredients
3. Mix them well together
4. Add flour gradually and knead well. Brush oil onto it and let it rest
5. Let the dough rest. Then, roll out the dough into a thick disc
6. Heat oil and carefully drop the disc into it
7. Fry until it is golden brown on both sides
8. Drain onto a kitchen towel
Recipe card
Mangalore Buns
Ingredients
- 2-3 banana overripe
- 1-1.5 cups plain flour approximately
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 3 tablespoon sugar
- 3 tablespoon yogurt
- Salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Oil for deep frying
Instructions
- Peel the bananas and mash them using a potato masher or fork. Make sure there are no lumps
- Mix yogurt, cumin seeds, salt, sugar and baking soda into it
- Slowly add the flour and knead into a soft dough. Don’t add any water while kneading. If required add some more flour for kneading
- Brush the dough with oil. Cover it and let the dough rest for 4-5 hours
- Once the dough is rested, knead it again for 2-3 minutes on a lightly dusted surface
- Heat oil in a fry pan or kadhai
- Take a lemon size dough and roll into a thick disc
- Deep fry on medium heat until both sides are golden brown. Carefully agitate the oil and lightly press them to puff up the buns.
- Drain on a kitchen towel
- Serve with coconut-coriander chutney
Notes
- Make sure the oil is hot enough before frying the bun. To test if the oil is ready, drop a tiny bit of dough into it. If it rises to the top immediately, the oil is ready
- You may adjust the amount of sugar depending on the sweetness of bananas
- Don’t add any water to knead the dough
- Don’t roll the dough too thin. Else, it will not fluff up
- Don’t skip resting the dough. The longer it rests, the softer the buns are
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