Egg Bonda

My tryst with egg bonda started when I was an engineering undergraduate at PSG Tech, Coimbatore.  There used to be a mobile bonda shop in front of our campus that sold egg and onion bondas, masala/ spinach/ ragi vadas.  I do not remember if they sold any other items, but just these handful of snack items drew so much crowd to their shop all the time.

In my opinion, this shop made the best tasting egg bondas I have ever tasted.  We friends used to frequent this shop in the evenings once the classes were over.  Sometimes, we would also crave for these delicacies during the day and would simply go near the tall compound wall section that is closer to this shop on the other side, and shout “Anna (brother), 2 egg bondas please!”. Someone from that shop on the other side of the wall would climb on a bench and took money from us and delivered the piping hot bondas which we ate in a hurry before heading to the next period.

I recently visited my college last summer for the silver jubilee reunion hoping to catch up with my friends, and also to reconnect with these yummy egg bondas. While I had a dream time with my friends reminiscing the fond memories of the past, unfortunately, it was an empty space where this world’s best egg bonda stall used to be once!

Over the years, I have mastered the art of making perfect tasting egg bondas.  I used to live in Dallas before settling down in Houston.  In Dallas, we had frequent bonda parties in our apartment where in I will be making varieties of hot bondas for my friends with all things imaginable (egg, raw plantain, chili, bell peppers, eggplant, bread, onion, potato, sweet potato, carrots, cauliflower, etc).  After I relocated to Houston, I am still in touch with my old buddies (through a WhatsApp group aptly named “Bonda Group” by one of my friend).

You may ask what is there in making an egg bonda – just hard-boil the eggs, cut them in halves, dip them in besan batter and bathe them in hot oil, right?  There are so many factors that go into making the perfect tasting egg bondas, and it starts with “perfectly” hard-boiled eggs.  Overcooked eggs will result in bondas that are harder to bite, and they also have a weird smell after you fry them. You also need to get the batter consistency right.

Typically, when you bite into an egg bonda, you should feel the following sensations: the crunchiness of the fried besan batter coating, the hard-boiled white and yellow egg yolks literally melting in your mouth, the tingling of the taste buds with the sprinkled black pepper and salt. These sensations aren’t sequential, but should hit your brain pleasure cells simultaneously like a tornado!

Off late, due to health reasons, I am only making these egg bondas very rarely and that too when I have guests over at my home.  Recently I tried to make a healthier “air fried” version of this egg bonda, but my attempt failed miserably with the hard-boiled eggs getting overcooked in the air fryer as the cooking times in air fryer are comparatively longer.

5 from 2 votes

Print

Egg Bonda

A tasty, all time favorite snack of hard-boiled eggs dipped in spice flavored besan batter, deep fried to golden perfection and seasoned with crushed black pepper and salt.

Course Snack

Cuisine Indian

Keyword Bonda, Egg, Egg Bonda, Muttai Bonda

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Servings 4 people

Author Senthil Sadasivam

Ingredients

• 4 Eggs hard-boiled
• Oil to deep fry

Batter ingredients

• 1 cup Besan flour
• 1/4 cup Rice flour
• 2 tsp Chili powder
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp Ajwain (Omam) seeds optional
• 1/4 tsp Hing
• 1/4 tsp Baking soda
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. In a pot, immerse the eggs in water and bring it to a boil and then let it cook for about 6 to 7 mins (I always user kitchen timer). Remove the eggs into a pot of cold water and let it sit for about 5 mins. Peel and slice them into halves vertically.

2. In a mixing bowl, whisk the batter ingredients along with water until you get an idli batter consistency (not too runny, not too hard to flow). The consistency of the batter is very important to make perfect bondas.

3. Heat oil in a pan and when it is hot, dip the egg halves in batter and ensure the batter sticks to all sides by rolling them over slightly. Gently drop them in hot oil, let it cook for about one min before turning them over so it cooks even on all sides to golden brown perfection.

4. Slit open the bondas at the top (don't cut them into halves), sprinkle with freshly crushed black pepper powder and salt and serve hot.

5. There is no need for sauce or chutney if you serve with crushed pepper or salt, but if you prefer, you can also enjoy them with hot & sour chili sauce, hot sauce, ketchup or coconut chutney.