Kodubale is a traditional snack from Karnataka which is made from rice flour and roasted gram flour along with some coconut and spices. A very addictive and kid approved snack.
Kodubale is a traditional snack from Karnataka which is made from rice flour and roasted gram flour along with some coconut and spices. This snack is one of the most popular in Karnataka and is perfect as a tea time snack.
Karnataka is a state in southwest India, bordered by the Arabian Sea, Maharashtra, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala. Bangalore is the largest city in the state and is also the capital. Kannada is a widely spoken and official language. Cauvery and Krishna are the two major rivers flowing through the state.
My Akka (Cousin Sister) was brought up in Bangalore and she was the one who I had asked to help me choose a recipe for Karnataka. She had asked a couple of her friends and passed along this wonderful recipe for Kodubale.
What is Kodubale
‘Kodu’ means horn and ‘Bale’ means bangles in Kannada. I am assuming this is how the snack got its name. The dough is shaped pencil thin like a cigar or horn and the made into a circle like a bangle and then pinched to connect.
Tips to make them crispy
When I made the first batch I had shaped them pretty thick and I could just not get it to crisp. The next batch was thinner, but still not enough to yield the crispy texture I was looking for. Then I started making them really thin and that is when it was perfect.
The thinner the kodubales are the crispier they fry. Also, it is very important to fry them in low flame; otherwise, it will become too dark outside and still remain soft inside.
It takes a little bit of patience to shape the kodubales, but it is an effort worth the time spent. The kodubales stays fresh for a very long time when stored in an airtight container.
My little one really enjoyed taking a bunch of this in his fingers and snacking on them. It was so cute that I could not resist taking a picture of it.
Preparation time – 15 minutes
Cooking time- 45 Minutes
Difficulty level – Medium
Ingredients
- Rice flour – 1 ½ cups
- Maida/All purpose flour – ¼ cup
- Pottukadalai /Roasted gram – ½ cup
- Desiccated coconut – ½ cup
- Red chili powder – 1 ½ tsp
- Asafetida – ¼ tsp
- White sesame seeds – 2 tbsp
- Oil – 2 tablespoon plus more to deep fry
- Salt – to taste
Procedure to make Kodubale –
- Dry roast the rice flour and maida for about 5-7 minutes until they get heated through and turn aromatic. It is not important for them to change color. Transfer it to a large bowl.
- Grind the pottukadalai and the coconut to a fine powder and add it to the bowl with the rest of the flours.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl (except the oil) and mix them to combine.
- Heat the 2 tablespoon of oil in a small pan and add it to the flours. The oil should be very hot and it should bubble up when adding it to the flour. Now slowly add water and make soft pliable dough. Rest the dough for about 15 minutes.
- In the mean time, heat oil in a wide pan to deep fry the kodubales.
Shaping the Kodubale
- Take small marble size dough and roll it into a thin pencil shape log. It should be slightly thicker in the middle and taper off at the ends. They should be about 3-4 inches in length and less than ¼ inch in thickness. Join the edges and pinch to seal.
- Make a few (about 5-7) depending on the size of the pan you are using to fry them. Keep the rest of the dough covered when working since they dry up very quickly and could crack when rolling. Also do not shape too many, since they could dry and break. Shape the next batch when the first batch is frying.
- Once the oil is hot enough, drop the shaped kodubales slowly into the hot oil and then reduce the heat to medium low. Fry them on both the sides until golden brown. Do not fry the kodubales in high heat since the outside will become dark and the inside will remain soft. Drain them on paper towel lined bowl.
- Repeat the same with the rest of the dough and once cooled transfer them to an airtight container.
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Recipe
Kodubale from Karnataka
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups Rice flour
- ¼ cup Maida All purpose flour
- ½ cup Pottukadalai Roasted gram
- ½ cup Desiccated coconut
- 1 ½ teaspoon Red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon Asafetida
- 2 tablespoon White sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoon Oil Plus more to deep fry
- to taste Salt
Instructions
- Dry roast the rice flour and maida for about 5-7 minutes until they get heated through and turn aromatic. It is not important for them to change color. Transfer it to a large bowl.
- Grind the pottukadalai and the coconut to a fine powder and add it to the bowl with the rest of the flours.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl (except the oil) and mix them to combine.
- Heat the 2 tablespoon of oil in a small pan and add it to the flours. The oil should be very hot and it should bubble up when adding it to the flour. Now slowly add water and make a soft pliable dough. Rest the dough for about 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, heat oil in a wide pan to deep fry the kodubales. Take small marble size dough and roll it into a thin pencil shape log. It should be slightly thicker in the middle and taper off at the ends. They should be about 3-4 inches in length and less than ¼ inch in thickness. Join the edges and pinch to seal. Make a few (about 5-7) depending on the size of the pan you are using to fry them. Keep the rest of the dough covered when working since they dry up very quickly and could crack when rolling. Also do not shape too many, since they could dry and break. Shape the next batch when the first batch is frying.
- Once the oil is hot enough, drop the shaped kodubales slowly into the hot oil and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Fry them on both sides until golden brown. Do not fry the kodubales in high heat since the outside will become dark and the inside will remain soft. Drain them in a paper towel-lined bowl.
- Repeat the same with the rest of the dough and once cooled transfer them to an airtight container.
Mukti bavisi says
A perfect recipe for a starter in cooking. No need to use rolling pin.
Just one question?? How do i replace maida. ?? V dont eat maida at all. Can I sieve whole wheat flour with maida sieve and use it
justswad says
I love this recipe so much. thank you for sharing such a nice recipe.
Manjunath Shikaripur says
No one can make Kodubale like people of Malenadu of Karnataka. They prepare all kinds of snacks during rainy season to eat with Karnataka filter coffee.
Swathi says
I like your blog very much. Just one question -Ur recipe says 1 and half cup chilli powder which seems extremely unlikely. Can u clarify that?
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Thanks a lot. That was a typo. It is 1 1/2 tsp and I have updated it now.
Narasimhan Srinivasan says
Thanks for sharing what appears to be a simple but practical recipe. I have never tried doing kodu bale before but being stuck in Perth and having to make neivedyam for our dear Krishna, I am planning to, following your recipe. Could you please confirm what the 1 cup refers to i.e is it 250 ml cup?
Thanks a lot,
Narasimhan
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Thank you! Yes, one cup is standard 250 ml cup measure.
Shazia says
Can i add besan instead of roasted gram
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Shazia, the roasted gram gives it a unique flavor. Yes you can try using besan instead. I would suggest making a small batch first to see how it works.