Name: Mangalore buns with crab sukka
Total time: 1 h
Ingredients: 450g of plain flour; 8g of table salt; 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, crushed; 3g of bicarbonate of soda; 4g of baking powder; 45g of icing sugar; 190g of yoghurt; 2 bananas, large, ripe; sunflower oil, for frying; 1 large crab, cooked and meat picked (white and brown); 3 tbsp of sunflower oil; 1 tsp mustard seeds; 1 sprig of curry leaf, fresh or dried; 3 red onions, diced; 4 ripe tomatoes, diced; 2 tbsp of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped; 2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder; 1 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and ground; 200ml of coconut milk; salt to taste; 1 handful of chopped dill; lemon wedges

Starter
Medium
6
60 minutes, plus 24 hours to prove the dough

PT1H

PT24H

Try out this delicious recipe from Avinash Shashidhara. These intriguing Mangalore buns contain ripe banana, giving them a slightly sweet taste and a brilliantly fluffy texture. Served up with crab sukka – a popular dish from the West of India – this is definitely one for seafood lovers.

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Buns

450g of plain flour
8g of table salt
1/2 tsp cumin seeds , crushed
3g of bicarbonate of soda
4g of baking powder
45g of icing sugar
190g of yoghurt
2 bananas , large, ripe
sunflower oil, for frying

Crab sukka

1 large crab , cooked and meat picked (white and brown)
3 tbsp of sunflower oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 sprig of curry leaf , fresh or dried
3 red onions, diced
4 ripe tomatoes , diced
2 tbsp of fresh ginger , peeled and finely chopped
2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
1 tsp coriander seeds , toasted and ground
200ml of coconut milk
salt to taste

To serve

1 handful of chopped dill
lemon wedges

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Make the dough for the buns the night before. Sift the dry ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine evenly

450g of plain flour
8g of table salt
1/2 tsp cumin seeds , crushed
3g of bicarbonate of soda
4g of baking powder
45g of icing sugar

Place the bananas and yoghurt into a blender and blend until smooth. Then add the dry ingredients and pulse until a dough begins to form. Tip out onto the surface and kneed for 5 minutes until you have a nice smooth dough

190g of yoghurt
2 bananas , large, ripe

To make the crab sukka, heat oil in a pan and crackle the mustard seeds and curry leaves for 30 seconds. Add the diced onion, ginger and chillies with a pinch of salt and sauté until soft and translucent, around 6–8 minutes

3 tbsp of sunflower oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 sprig of curry leaf , fresh or dried
3 red onions, diced
2 tbsp of fresh ginger , peeled and finely chopped
salt to taste

Stir in the dry spices and cook for 2 more minutes, then add in the chopped tomatoes and cook for a few more minutes until they've broken down into a sauce. Then add the coconut milk and slowly cook down into a thick paste

2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
1 tsp coriander seeds , toasted and ground
4 ripe tomatoes , diced
200ml of coconut milk

As the sauce is cooking you can fry the buns. Divide the dough into 12 even, walnut sized balls. Roll them out into neat circles (using a cutter if you'd like.)

Heat the sunflower oil in a large pan or deep-fat fryer to 190ºC, then deep-fry on both sides for a few minutes until a deep golden brown. Work in batches to ensure you down overcrowd the pan. Drain on kitchen paper

Stir the crab meat into the sauce, taste and season

1 large crab , cooked and meat picked (white and brown)
salt to taste

Divide the crab sukka between 6 plates and garnish with freshly chopped dill. Serve with the warm buns and lemon wedges

1 handful of chopped dill
lemon wedges

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Avinash Shashidhara

After leaving India to perfect his cooking in the UK, Avinash Shashidhara worked his way through restaurants including The River Cafe before opening Pahli Hill Bandra Bhai, where he serves ingredient-led Indian dishes inspired by traditional recipes.