MANGALORE BUNS RECIPE | BANANA BUNS | SOFT & FLUFFY BUNS

Mangalore Buns or Banana Buns are soft & fluffy, sweet, and delicious buns or pooris prepared using ripe bananas. Mangalore buns can be served for breakfast or as an evening snack. It is one of the best recipes that people of all age groups love. 

What are Mangalore Buns or Banana Buns?

Mangalore buns prepared using ripe bananas are sweet fried buns/pooris/bread and one of the most popular recipes in the coastal region of Karnataka (Mangalore, Udupi, etc.). 

This recipe is very special to me as it is with this recipe that I started my food blog journey. I had prepared this for breakfast and clicked a picture using my cell phone camera so that I could share it with my folks back in India. Since my husband liked the buns very much, I immediately jotted down the recipe on a piece of paper as a reference for the future. That is when my husband encouraged me to write it down in the form of a blog so it is organized and accessible whenever needed. 

It has been a long journey since then. Today, when I prepared Mangalore buns again, I remembered my early blogging days. I quickly grabbed my camera and snapped a few shots, and I am re-sharing this post again.

I am sharing two versions of the Mangalore buns recipe here, one that I tried when I was in the USA with long (robust) bananas, without curds or yogurt, and the second one is the traditional version made with yogurt or curds. 

There are many variations to this recipe. Some people add curd, ghee, coconut oil, or even add half portion of wheat flour instead of maida. 

In India, Mysore Kele or baale (Mysore banana) or pachabale (cavendish) is used to make this recipe. My mom prepares the best buns. I have beautiful memories from my high school days. I used to come back home and help my mom prepare these yummy buns as a snack along with evening tea. 

My sister had a sweet tooth, so she always demanded mom add more sugar to the dough. But I prefer to use a smaller amount of sugar; therefore, the buns I prepare are mildly sweet, similar to what we get in restaurants. You can vary the sweetness as desired. Remember that when you add more sugar, the buns may turn a few shades darker upon frying.

How to serve Mangalore banana buns?

This recipe is so delicious that it can be served without any accompaniments. Just a cup of coffee or tea will do. However, in restaurants, it is generally served with chutney and sambar.

Recipe I Ingredients for Best & Easy Traditional Mangalore Buns or Banana Buns

8 small ripe bananas (3 big bananas)
¼ cup Sugar (you can increase it up to ⅓ cup for more sweetness)
½ cup Yogurt or Curds
¼ teaspoon Baking soda
½ teaspoon Cumin seeds
½ teaspoon Salt
3 cups All purpose flour / Maida
1 ½ tablespoon Butter, softened
Oil for frying

How to make banana buns or Mangalore buns dough?

In a mixer or grinder, add bananas and sugar and blend to a smooth paste. Add this to a bowl. To this, add yogurt, baking soda, cumin seeds, salt, 2 cups of flour, butter, and mix. 

The dough for Mangalore buns is going to be sticky compared to other bread/poori dough. Check out the consistency of the dough here. If the dough is very sticky, add another ½ cup of flour and mix. The amount of flour will vary every single time depending on the water content in the banana, the brand of flour used, local weather conditions, etc.

Cover and keep it aside for 6 hours to overnight. 

Next morning, add the remaining half cup of flour to the dough and knead once. 

How to roll and fry banana buns or Mangalore buns?

Dust the working surface. Make lemon size balls from the dough and flatten them using a rolling pin to form buns. Do not flatten it too much. I prefer to keep it a little thick, approximately 0.5 cm. The thickness is approximately twice that of poori. Check out the video here. 

Heat oil in a pan on a medium flame for frying. See that at least 40 percent of your pan is filled with oil. 

Once the oil is hot, fry the buns on medium flame. Drop one or two buns at a time, depending on the size of the pan. Keep gently pressing them using a slotted spatula, and they will puff up nicely. For better understanding, check the video on how buns are traditionally fried. 

Using a slotted spatula, flip on the other side and fry till it is golden on both sides. Transfer it to a paper towel to absorb any excess oil. Repeat the process for the remaining buns.

Recipe II Ingredients for Mangalore buns or Banana buns without curds or yogurt

2 cups + more for dusting All purpose flour/ Maida
5 tablespoon Sugar
2 Ripe long bananas
1 teaspoon Cumin seeds / Jeera
¼ teaspoon Pepper powder
½ teaspoon Baking soda
½ teaspoon Salt
Oil for frying

How to make Mangalore buns or Banana buns without curds or yogurt?

Making of banana buns dough without curds

In a large bowl, mash the ripe bananas. To this, add flour, sugar, cumin seeds, pepper powder, baking soda, salt, and mix. Knead well to form a dough. This dough is going to be sticky. No water is required to form the dough.

Add little extra flour to the dough if it sticks to your fingers but make sure that the dough is not stiff. It should be soft and sticky. Cover it and keep it aside for at least 6 hours or overnight. I generally prepare the dough in the evening and rest it overnight to have it ready for breakfast.

Rolling and frying the dough is the same as Recipe I 

Tips

• Overripe and ripe bananas are the best for making these buns. 
• Do not add any water while making the dough. Sugar, when combined with banana, gives enough moisture to form the dough.
• The more you knead, and the more time you allow the dough to ferment, will make your buns fluffier.
• The dough may appear dark or black after it has rested for 6 hours. This is normal and is a result of oxidation.
• After making buns, you can place the leftover dough in the fridge and use it to make buns whenever desired.
• The amount of sugar you add may vary depending on the sweetness of bananas and the sweetness you like. If you add more sugar, the buns will turn a little darker, but they will be really tasty.
• Add a small piece of dough to check if the oil is hot. Check if it sizzles and comes up.
• While frying, baste the buns with hot oil using a slotted spoon to help them puff up.
• Do not fry the buns on high flame. It will turn the buns dark brown.

Video recipe on making of soft & fluffy mangalore buns, banana buns

Detailed recipe for Mangalore buns, Banana Buns

Recipe card

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