A popular snack, the buns are deep-fried bread with a crisp coating, and a cherished breakfast dish and snack item in Goa.
It’s the nicest kind of bread: Round, fluffy, fried, and with a touch of sweetness. It can be eaten plain, dipped in hot tea, slathered with butter, or used to soak up bhaji. It is a different kind of banana bread.
Say hello to buns, one of Goa’s most beloved and underrated breads.
Buns are a deep-fried, fluffy puri-like bread, and a popular tea-time snack. They are savoury, with touches of turmeric and cumin seeds. They look like puris, with a crisp coating and soft fluffy centre, almost like bread. They have many names — Goan banana buns, jeera buns or sweet buns — but visit any bhaji place in Goa and they are called one thing: Buns. Even if you want just one, you have to ask for buns (plural, never singular).
No one can have just one Goan banana bun…
Buns were not a common snack for us, while growing up. If we went out to eat, we usually had pao or puris, rarely buns. It was only after my return to Goa, two years ago, that I discovered a newfound love for them. Since then, I make it a point to eat buns wherever I go. Though the ingredients are common — flour, ripe bananas, sugar, cumin (some add curd to aid with kneading) — the taste differs according to the place.
The dough is usually rested for a few hours, then rolled out and fried. Some make it sweet, so it feels like a sweet puri; others focus on the savoury aspect of it, so it pairs well with curries. In some places, it crumbles in the hand, at others, it tears off like a roti. Some come speckled with cumin seeds, others have pockets of slightly burned bits. I’ve eaten them all. I’ve even carried them to Mumbai, freezing them so they can be eaten over days — popping them in the oven gives them a nice crispness.
The Goan sweet bun that makes breakfast fun
My research into the origin of Goan buns took me to the Mangalore buns, made the same way and believed to be the original sweet buns. The buns were a creation of a group of cooks in the kitchens of Udupi, though some say a temple cook created it to make use of banana offerings. It is a popular Udupi snack where it is eaten with a sambar or coconut chutney. It is possible that the dish came to Goa where it became the Goan sweet bun.
Image: delishbite.in
Goan sweet buns are eaten for breakfast or at tea-time, consumed plain or with bhajis — patal bhaji (white peas gravy), tamat (tomato) or salad, batat (potato) or sukhi, and mixed. As such, they are available in every tiny hotel, café or restaurant that serves chau (tea) and bhaji-puri.
Recently, the buns made news when Sachin Tendulkar visited Café Tato and raved about the breakfast there, which included them. If you, like Tendulkar, want to eat buns in Goa, here are some good places to find them.
Café Tato
The century-old institution is the best place to find a hearty Goan breakfast. The buns are big, fluffy, with a flaky crust and slightly sweet, and considered to be some of the best in Goa.
At Panaji, Margao, Vasco.
Café Bhonsle
Another institution that does traditional Goan breakfasts, this place is also known for its Goan samosas. It serves some North Indian and Chinese fare too. The buns here are thick and round and have an appealing yellow tint.
At Ponda, Pilerne, Panaji.
Café Ashwini
A popular local eatery known for its samosas, the buns here (a bestseller) are big and usually crispier than the rest.
At Caranzalem.
Navtara
The vegetarian restaurant popular with those seeking a dosa fix also does Punjabi, Mughlai, Goan, Chinese, North and South Indian fare. Buns that look like puris and pair well with bhajis are served here.
At Margao, Mapusa, Siolim, Panaji, Calangute, Socorro.
Café Mira
The café specialising in simple, homecooked vegetarian fare from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Karnataka serves typical Mangalore buns.
At Miramar.
Citi Café
This Goan snack centre serves bright, crisp yellow buns with bhajis. For a kick, try pairing them with the other offerings like croquettes or chana masala.
At Margao. Call 9158786664
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