Swaadista

Heerekayi bajji, also known as Ridge Gourd Fritters, is a popular evening snack in Karnataka. Essentially, this snack is ridge gourd slices dipped in a spicy gram flour batter and deep-fried in oil.

Heerekayi Bajji has been one of my favorite snacks since childhood; I love to eat these, especially in the monsoon or winter season with a piping hot cup of masala chai. And the best thing about this tasty snack is that it can be prepared in under 20 minutes. So whenever you have a snack craving and a ridge gourd lying in your refrigerator, you know what to prepare!

Besides ridge gourd, you can also use vegetables like onion, capsicum, potato, or raw banana (plantain) to make bajjis. The taste of each bajji varies depending on the vegetable used. If you have a lot of vegetables stocked up, try this amazing tea-time snack.

Here’s another Ridge gourd recipe you can try: Heerekayi Palya

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
Serves: 3-4 adults

Ingredients:

1 medium ridge gourd, thinly sliced
1 cup gram flour(besan)
1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
Salt to taste
Vegetable oil, for deep frying

Instructions:

1. Rinse and slice ridge gourd into thin roundels and keep them aside.
2. In to a large mixing bowl, add gram flour, red chili powder, salt, and water. Combine well to make a smooth, thick, no-lump batter and set aside.
3. Heat cooking oil (enough to deep fry battered ridge gourd) in a frying pan on medium heat.
4. To check if the oil is hot enough for deep frying, drop a small droplet of batter into the oil. The ideal temperature for deep-frying is – as soon the batter is dropped, it should come back bubbling the surface.
5. Dip sliced ridge gourd in the batter one after the other and deep fry until they turn golden brown on both sides. Remove them from oil and place on a paper towel to drain out the excess oil.
6. Enjoy hot bajjis with tomato ketchup or your favorite dip. Enjoy!

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