Diwali Savouries

 

Ingredients

• Roasted Chana dal - 70 grams
• Dry red chilli - 1 - broken and seeds removed
• Cumin seeds - ½ teaspoon
• Besan (gram flour) - 70 grams
• Rice flour - 100 grams
• Asafoetida - 2 pinches
• Salt - add as required
• White Sesame seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Butter or oil - 2 tablespoons
• Water - add as required
• Oil - for deep frying as required

Method Making Ribbon Pakoda Dough:

1. Take ½ cup roasted chana dal, 1 dry red chilli (broken and seeds removed) and ½ teaspoon cumin seeds in a grinder jar and grind the ingredients to a fine powder.

2. If you expect spicy flavour in addition to crunchiness add up to 3 dry red chillies or you can add chilli pastes such as green chilli paste or garlic paste or onion paste to make it spicier.

3. In a large mixing bowl, place a sieve on top and add ½ cup besan and ½ cup heaped rice flour, ground roasted chana dal, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 pinches of Asafoetida and sift this mixture.

4. Now add 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds to this mixture and keep them aside.

5. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter or oil in a small pan and add the hot melted butter to the sifted flour mixture.

6. Thoroughly mix the butter with the flour using a spoon. Taste the mix and add salt if required.

7. Knead the flour mixture by adding ⅓ cup of water in parts.

8. Continue kneading until you get a smooth and non-sticky consistency dough. 9. If the dough is dry add water to retain the above consistency or if the dough is sticky add more besan to retain the above consistency.

10. Cover the dough and keep it aside.

1. Now heat a Kadai and add the oil required for deep frying of ribbon pakodas. 2. Take a part of the dough and insert it into the murukku maker. Align the top part of the maker and keep it aside.

3. Make sure that the oil in Kadai is in medium heat and check the desirable condition for frying the pakodas by adding a small piece of dough.

4. Ensure the optimum heat since pakodas will absorb too much oil when fried in low flame and will turn brown when fried in high flame. Press the murukku maker on the top of the Kadai, such that the ribbons directly fall in the oil.

5. When you press the ribbons into the oil, press them in batches and do not overload the Kadai. Wait till the pakodas become crisp.

6. Now gently turn the pakodas with the slotted spoon to the other side once the bottom is fried well.

7. Make sure they reach a light golden colour and are evenly fried.

8. Once the pakodas are fried remove them with a slotted spoon and place the fried Pakodas in tissue paper.

9. Follow the same procedure for all the batches.

       Cool the ribbon pakodas and place them in an airtight container or jar.

Tips:

• Make sure you get a nozzle to make ribbons from the dough to prepare the ribbon pakoda. Such nozzles are available with serrated edges and plain edges.
• If the dough floats to the top steadily, then the frying conditions are desirable. If the dough comes up quickly the oil is too hot or if it settles down then the oil does not have enough heat to fry the pakodas.