East Indian Fugias are traditional East Indian balloon-shaped fermented fried bread. Fugias are also called fried ‘Balloon Bread’ for their shape. We make Fugias on special festive occasions and serve them with traditional East Indian food.
Table of Contents
About Fugias
Fugias are fermented bread made with all-purpose flour (maida), and eggs, and fermented with yeast. We then knead the batter with water or coconut milk to make a fairly smooth and soft dough. This batter is then set to ferment for a couple of hours. Once fermented, we drop round balls of the batter into hot oil and fry them until they turn golden.
Fugias are a specialty among the East Indian Community and these are made on special occasions like weddings, christenings, first holy communion, and other festive occasions. These are made in large quantities and also distributed in the neighborhood. Traditionally the batter is kneaded the night before the occasion and left for fermentation.
Especially, during weddings, it’s a wonderful sight to see the ladies of the East Indian community assemble together, making Fugias and singing wedding songs. Good old customs and traditions never fade.
The customs of a traditional East Indian Wedding are also worth witnessing. The entire neighborhood, along with family and friends, participate in the wedding ceremonies. These ceremonies traditionally last for at least 7 days. Nonetheless, an East Indian Wedding is an affair to remember and a memory to cherish.
The East Indians love their Fugias and also take pride in making them, a technique that is a little unusual and needs practice. The fermented batter is grasped by hand and the small ballon of batter which is formed between the thumb and forefinger is picked up with the other hand or a spoon and dropped in hot oil. You need a little practice to get this right.
You can serve East Indian Fugias with Pork Vindaloo, East Indian Sorpotel, Chicken Khudi, and Chicken Moil, or can also just enjoy them with a piping hot cup of tea.
How to make East Indian Fugias
Time needed: 1 hour and 30 minutes
East Indian Fugias
- Proof Yeast
In a bowl add 1 tsp Active Dry Yeast. To this add 1 cup warm water and 1 tbsp granulated sugar for the yeast to proof. Allow this yeast mixture to rest for 5 minutes.
- Knead the Dough
Now after the yeast is proven take a deep flat plate/Thala and add sieved all-purpose flour/maida, whole wheat flour (optional), eggs, sugar, and salt. Then add in the yeast mixture and water or coconut milk to form a fairly soft sticky dough. Knead the dough thoroughly so that no lumps remain.
- Allow the batter to ferment.
Cover the batter and keep it in a warm place to ferment. This should take approx. 1 to 1.5 hours if you are living in a city like Mumbai. Do not allow the batter to rise longer or your Fugias will not form well.
- Frying the Fugias
Heat sufficient oil in a deep Kadai. Now deflate the risen batter with your hands and give it a nice mix. Now when you are ready to fry the Fugias, grasp a handful of the batter with your left hand. A small balloon of the batter will form between your index finger and your thumb. Wet your right-hand finger and then carefully pick up this batter balloon and quickly drop it into the hot oil. Similarly, form the rest of the Fugias till the Kadai is full, taking care not to overload the Kadai. After a few seconds, stir the Fugias in the Kadai with a perforated spoon. This will ensure that the Fugias fry evenly and turn beautifully golden all over.
- Serve East Indian Fugias
Once all the fugias are golden brown, which should take you about 3 to 4 minutes, remove them on a kitchen tissue. Allow the Fugias to slightly cool and then serve.
Tips To Make Perfect East Indian Fugias
- Use good quality yeast and give the Fugia batter sufficient time to rise. The rising time of your batter will depend on the yeast you are using. If you are using the bakery yeast you will need to leave the batter overnight to rise. Active or instant yeast will take a rising time of about one to one and a half hours.
- Over-proofing the batter or using more yeast than indicated in the recipe will not yield good results.
- You can adjust the quantity of eggs and sugar in the batter to suit your taste.
- Add water or coconut milk a little at a time while kneading the batter and knead until you get a soft sticky dough. (Watch the video to understand better).
- Knead your batter well so that no lumps remain. The technique is to use the palm of your hand while kneading to get a smooth lump-free dough. Lumps in the dough tend to burst while frying and may be injurious.
- Dampen your fingers in water before picking up the batter for frying to avoid sticking while dropping them in the oil.
- Fry Fugias on medium to low heat, giving them an occasional stir while frying to ensure even cooking.
- Transfer fried Fugias from the Kadai to an absorbent kitchen tissue for absorbing excess oil.
Follow these simple tips for perfect East Indian Fugias every time. Go ahead and make your batch of Fugias today!
Serving Suggestions
Serve Fugias along with your main course meals. Fugias go well with Pork Vindaloo, Sorpotel, Chicken moile, and other East Indian dishes. Also, serve some Coloured Rice Crackers with this meal.
Enjoy hot East Indian Fugias with your morning cup of tea. These Fugias will stay fresh at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. You can even store them for up to a week covered in bread baskets away from direct heat but they tend to turn a little hard.
If you want to enjoy Fugias piping hot every time, simply place them into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for a minute only. You could also heat them on a hot tawa or griddle and enjoy.
Watch the East Indian Fugias Recipe
East Indian Recipes You May Like To Try
Printed Recipe for East Indian Fugias
East Indian Fugias Recipe
Ingredients
For the Yeast mixture
- 1 cup Warm water
- 1 tsp Dry yeast
- 1 tbsp Granulated Sugar
For the Fugia Batter
- 1 kg Maida (Approx. 8 cups)
- 2 cups Whole wheat flour
- 3 Eggs
- 4 tbsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Salt
- Juice of one coconut optional*
- Oil for deep frying
Instructions
How to make East Indian Fugias
- Take one cup of warm water, add 1 tsp dry yeast and 1 tbsp sugar and let it prove.
- Mix flour and all the other ingredients for the batter in a big flat vessel.
- Once the yeast is proven. Add this yeast to the flour mixture and knead well to form a thick soft batter.
- Now pour this batter into a larger vessel and allow it to ferment for 3- 4 hours.
- Once the batter has fermented and risen start making the fugias.
- To make the fugias, heat oil in a Kadai, sufficient to fry the fugias. Now grasp a little batter with your left hand. Dip your right hand fingers in the water and pick up the ballon of batter which is formed between your thumb and forefinger and drop it into the hot oil.
- Similarly, make 10 – 12 fugias, depending on the size of your kadai. Fry this batch, on low to medium flame, stirring simultaneously for even browning.
- Fry fugias on a medium flame. Once the fugias are fried remove them on a kitchen tissue.
- Serve Fugias with your meals or enjoy it with a cup of hot tea.
Notes
-  Adding coconut juice is optional. I skip it most of the times.
- You could also substitute wheat flour with maida (2 cups)
- Adjust sugar as per your taste. Fugias are generally slightly sweet fried bread.
- Fry on low to medium flame.
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Thanks for stopping by…
Love, Anita
Yr site is worth reading. Still need to try yr recioes. Could you please adv exact water to be added to prepare the fugias dough
Thanks Angelina… you must try the recipes. For fugias you need to add water gradually till you get a fairly soft sticky dough. I’ll note the exact quantity and let you know when I make fugias next time.
Very easily and clear recipes
Thank you. Do try them out.
Very easily and clear recipes. Do advise what to do if the dough is very sticky… Does it mean that water is more?
Thanks Annie. No worries .. add a little flour if you find the dough too sticky. Pl try it out…
What can be substituted for egg ( other than ready egg substitute)
Hi Neeta, you can mix the batter with milk instead of water. The 2nd option is use yogurt as substitute for eggs. Plz try out and let me have your feedback.
Dear Anita,
I’m gonna make Fugias this weekend. But since it’s my first time I was thinking of making half the quantity. Just wanted to know if I do that, do I use 1 egg or 2 eggs?
Hi Mrs Vaz,
Yes, you are right, make a smaller quantity first. Add 2 eggs. Don’t hesitate, the fugias will come out well and your family is gonna enjoy them. Let me know how they turned out.
Luv Anita
Hi, how can I make these a day or two in advance? If yes, how can I store them? What’s the shelf life?
Hi Nikita, you could make the fugias one day in advance and heat them in a microwave if you want to serve them hot.
Hi! I really wanna try this recipe out, however, I am allergic to yeast (active and otherwise). Usually I try to substitute eating bread with rotis instead, but this has me intrigued. Any possible substitutions? Thanks!
Hi Veena! I really haven’t tried making these without yeast. I’ll try to find out if there is a substitute for yeast and make the recipe first. I will then update you with the result. Thank you for visiting my blog.
Hi. Do you sell our Eastindian Bottle Masala. How do I contact you.