Free Imagine Things

I made this snack few days back, when the snow was falling and the temprature going down, calling for nice fried items everyday, I think the 3 weeks including with my children's term vacation, I had been very very busy with making lot of things and eating lot of oily food !!, I need to get my cholestrol checked !!, I think it's been so many years since I did lot of pakodas, bondas, bajjis etc., like this, Oops coming back to the recipe, Cherry Tomatoes are small Tomatoes which are in the size of a marble or a little bigger than a marble, or should I say size of cherries!!, they are usually used here with salad leaves and salads which are just eaten raw !!, I love to eat them the same way with some salad leaves and with some other raw veggies, One day my friend H was saying that he had eaten them as Bondas, and now I forget where !!, that inspired to try making Bondas out of them, The only thing I did as an extra was I cut them in half and filled it with onions and carrots and they just disappeared as they came on the plate!, Only my twin daughter did not like it because she doesn't like tomatoes!!, I usually grind them or chop them into tiny bits when using them in other dishes as she picks them if she gets to see them !!

INGREDIENTS:

• Cherry Tomatoes
• Bengal Gram Flour/ Kadale Hittu/chickpea flour
• Pinch of Baking soda
• Salt as required
• chilli powder as required

FOR THE FILLING:

• 1 Large chopped Onion
• 1 Medium sized carrot skin peeled and grated
• chilli powder to taste
• salt to taste
• 7 to 8 sprigs of Fresh Coriander leaves finely chopped
• Lime accordingly to taste which is optional

METHOD:

1. You must have noticed in the recipe that I have not mentioned the quantity as I did not measure !!, You all must have done lot of Bondas, Bajjis, so I thought no need to write the quantity.
2. Sieve the Gram flour with salt and chilli powder, If you take around 1 cup you might need 1to 1 1/2 tsp of salt and 1 tbsp of chilli powder, and also Baking Soda, it actually vaires according to the taste of each and every person, as I like a bit spicier I might have added 1 & 1/2 tbsp of chilli powder, it is entirely up to you to guess !!
3. Once you have mixed everything well add water to the consistency of thick Dosa Batter, before adding more water to make it to Dosa Spreading consistency, Once you are comfortable to dip the cherry Tomatoes and fry them in the oil, You would know how much water to add.
4. If it is too watery it will not coat to the Tomatoes and run away spreading every where in the oil !!, so just check when you dip it and put it in the oil that it is completely coated in the oil
5. It is just like making Aloo Bondas, nothing special, Soda, gives a little fluffyness to it that is it makes it swell nicely !!
6. Next for the filling, Mix all the Ingredients mentioned in the Filling, cut the Bondas the serve them immediately.
7. One important thing to note is,  leaving salt, mix all the Ingredients in the filling heading  and can be set aside for future use, But  if you mix salt and keep it aside the onions start giving out water and it becomes quite soggy before serving.

Variations: This is usually made with Big Capsicums in Bangalore, They make Bondas this way, then before serving they cut it open and put the mixed filling in it and is served, Remembering them my mouth is watering, well I can never make them as they need a lot of oil, which I never use, But, when I go to Bangalore I never miss eating them !!, The best place I have tasted is at the End of Netkallappa Circle in the corner there is a small shop underneath the 2 storyed building a man sits their and makes them, within minutes they are all gone, next time when I go I will definitely take a photo and post it in my blog, such big capsicums and the filling are so heavenly. Love it !!, This is made in most of the nook and corner of small Bonda joints everywhere in Bangalore..., just try them you will certainly fall in love with it...