Mangalore Buns

Mangalore buns step-by-step recipe with video and photos.

I spent my childhood in a small township Kudremukha (now a world heritage site), which is about 100 km from the beautiful coastal town of Mangalore in Karnataka. Mangalore was our go-to place when it came to day trips, shopping, and of course beach time! My favorite part of the trip was these delicious Mangalore buns.

About this recipe

Mangalore buns are a popular breakfast and snack dish from the Udipi-Mangalore region of Karnataka. These delightfully sweet and soft buns are made with bananas and all-purpose flour.

They are deep-fried and are technically pooris, not buns. Why are they called a bun then – I have no idea! Maybe because they don't absorb much oil. Or maybe because of the soft and fluffy texture they have.

These mildly sweet buns are served with a spicy chutney which balances the sweetness from the buns, but they also taste great just by themselves. You can also serve them with any curry for your lunch/dinner. We love to pair it with this Mangalore-style black-eyed peas curry.

Fun fact: You call them 'buns' even if there is just one of them. It is always 'Mangalore buns'!

It is believed that these buns were created by cooks in Udipi to find a way to use up overripe bananas. They added flour to these bananas and deep-fried them which resulted in the creation of this delicious dish.

The dough of these Mangalore buns is made with mashed bananas, yogurt, flour, cumin seeds, salt, and sugar. The dough is then fermented overnight (or a few hours) before rolling into thick discs and deep-frying.

Ingredients

Banana: Make sure you use overripe bananas to make these buns.

All-purpose flour: All-purpose flour (maida) is used to make these buns; however, you can use a mix of maida and whole wheat flour to make these buns.

Yogurt: Make sure the yogurt is at room temperature when adding to the dough.

Sugar: Both plain and raw sugar works well for this dish.

Cumin seeds: Cumin seeds makes these buns very flavourful. It can be replaced with fennel seeds (saunf).

Step-by-step instructions

1. Mash the bananas well using a fork.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients.

3. Mix them well together.

4. Add flour gradually and knead well. Brush oil onto it and let it rest.

5. Let the dough rest. Then, roll out the dough into a thick disc.

6. Heat oil and carefully drop the disc into it.

7. Fry until it is golden brown on both sides.

8. Drain onto a paper towel. Serve hot with chutney.

Useful tips

This recipe gives me 10-12 buns. You can half or double the recipe as needed.

Make sure the banana you use is overripe. They are sweeter and add more flavor to the buns.

Mash the banana well taking care there are no lumps. Dough with lumpy banana will be difficult to roll and will not puff up when deep-fried.

Let the yogurt come to room temperature before adding it to the dough.

Serve it with spicy coconut chutney. This will balance the sweetness very well. Don't forget to pair it with a strong cup of authentic South Indian filter coffee.

Check out this recipe to make pan de coco, a delicious Filipino bun with a sweet coconut filling.

You may also like:

1. Paneer pakora.
2. Maddur vada.

FAQs

Bonus

These Mangalore buns are:
- soft and fluffy
- great for breakfast and main meals,
- unique and delicious.

Recipe card

Mangalore Buns / Banana Buns

Sweet deep-fried bread made with bananas, these Mangalore buns are perfect for breakfast or snacks. They don't look like a typical bun and are soft, fully, and mildly sweet pooris. Serve with a cup of coffee or chai for a snack or breakfast, or pair them with a curry of your choice for lunch/dinner.

5 from 26 votes

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Author: Shilpa

Course: Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: 12 buns

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 2-3 banana (overripe)
• 1½ - 2 cups all-purpose flour (approximately)
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 3 tablespoon sugar
• 3 tablespoon yogurt
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Oil for deep frying

Instructions

Make the dough and ferment:

• Peel the bananas and mash them well. Make sure there are no lumps.
• Mix yogurt, cumin seeds, salt, sugar, and baking soda into it.
• Slowly add the flour and knead it into a soft dough. Don’t add any water while kneading.
• Start with 1½ cups of flour and keep adding more flour as needed.
• Brush the dough with oil. Cover it and let the dough rest for 4-5 hours. You can also let it sit for fermentation overnight.
• Once the dough is rested, knead it again for 2-3 minutes on a lightly dusted surface.
• Heat oil for deep frying.
• Take a lemon-sized dough and roll it into a thick disc.
• Deep fry on medium heat until both sides are golden brown. Carefully agitate the oil and lightly press them to puff up the buns.
• Drain on a paper towel.
• Serve with coconut-coriander chutney.

Notes

Make sure the oil is hot enough before frying the bun. To test if the oil is ready, drop a tiny bit of dough into it. If it rises to the top immediately, the oil is ready.

You may adjust the amount of sugar depending on the sweetness of the bananas.

Don’t add any water to knead the dough.

Don’t roll the dough too thin. Else, it will not fluff up.

Don’t skip resting the dough. The longer it rests, the softer the buns are.

Nutrition Facts

Mangalore Buns / Banana Buns

Amount per Serving

Calories

165

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

1

g

2

%

Saturated Fat

 

0.2

g

1

%

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

0.2

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

0.1

g

Cholesterol

 

1

mg

0

%

Sodium

 

192

mg

8

%

Potassium

 

120

mg

3

%

Carbohydrates

 

36

g

12

%

Fiber

 

2

g

8

%

Sugar

 

6

g

7

%

Protein

 

4

g

8

%

Vitamin A

 

20

IU

0

%

Vitamin C

 

2

mg

2

%

Calcium

 

14

mg

1

%

Iron

 

2

mg

11

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.