fried balls of dough on brown paper
an indian man cooking

We love Bangalore Bhajias and we think we found the best place to eat them. Smack dab in North Bengaluru (at the 7th Cross Road corner of Margosa Road) is one of the busiest eateries in the city. Shri Sagar Malleshwaramand (formerly Central Tiffin Room-CTR) is small and unassuming both inside and out. But, it’s over 100 years old. And, it’s still busy all of its opening hours.

The original owners once served the Maharaja of Mysore back in the 1920s. In the 40s and 50s, it was a popular hang out for writers and is mentioned in several novels. Though it has changed hands several times and expanded slightly in 2011, Sri Sagar Malleshwaramand rocks for its specialties. It has won “Best Benne Masal Dosa” by the Times Food Awards more than once. Bengaluru is a dosa-loving place. We loved the dosas here and frankly, we don’t feel we could do them justice with a recipe attempt. We bow to the masters. But there was another bite we felt we could master.

Bangalore Bhajias

The second menu item we loved were their fluffy-as-a-cloud Bangalore Bhajias. Should we be calling them Bengaluru Bhajias now? We’re not sure. But, as we researched recipes, it seems people still refer to them as Bangalore Bhajias so that’s the name we’re going with.

Find our recipe below. Do give them a try, they are super easy to make and delightful to devour. You do need to plan a little bit ahead as they need a 2 hour fermentation rest before deep-frying but trust us, they’re worth the time and a little bit of effort.

fried balls of dough on brown paper

Bangalore Bhajias Recipe

Yields
36 pieces
Prep Time
2+ 15 hours (including 2 hours rest time)
Cooking Time
15 minutes
Total
2.5 hours

Ingredients

1 cup maida (unbleached all purpose flour)

¼ cup rice flour

5-6 fresh curry leaves, chopped

¼  teaspoon asafoetida(hing)

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1-2 teaspoons green chili paste

1 teaspoon ginger paste

¼ cup grated fresh coconut

Salt – to taste

1¼ cups plain yogurt

1-2 Tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves

½ teaspoon baking soda

Sunflower oil as needed

Method

  1. Add the maida and rice flours, curry leaves, asafoetida, pepper, chili and ginger pastes, coconut, and salt to a bowl and mix them with your hands.
  2. Add the yogurt and mix with your hands for about 15 minutes, continuously.
  3. Cover and set the bowl aside for at least 2 hours.
  4. Mix in the coriander leaves and baking soda with your hands and stir in one direction for two to three minutes more.
  5. Heat a few cups of sunflower oil on medium heat in a deep wok and using your fingers, drop small balls of the batter into the oil. Repeat until all the batter is used.
  6. Cook the bhajias until they are golden brown (they should be cooked through and light and fluffy inside) Baand then remove them to a paper towel.
  7. Serve warm with coconut chutney.

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