These crunchy Ribbon Pakodas are my boys favorite. These are also called as Nada Thenkuzhal, Ottu pakoda and ribbon murukku. These savories are made especially during Diwali as a part of the snacks recipes, but I not only make it during the festival time but sometimes also during the week ends to last for 10 days, as it makes a perfect tea time snack. I made a batch and took it to my In-laws place for Diwali and came back tried out a variation with the next batch I made for our home as suggested by my SIL and everyone loved it very much.
My sister-in-law asked me to add garlic while making these pakodas and it added a nice punch to the murukku. The addition of garlic not only improves the taste but helps in easy digestion too as these pakodas are made of besan (gram flour), which some find it difficult to digest.
Ribbon Pakoda Recipe
Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 20 mins | Makes: 2 cups
Recipe Cuisine: South Indian | Recipe Category: Snacks
Recipe Cuisine: South Indian | Recipe Category: Snacks
Ingredients:
- Rice flour – 2 cups
- Besan (Gram flour/Kadalai Maavu) – 1 cup
- Pottukadalai powder - 4 tbsp
- Red Chilli powder – 1 tsp
- Asafetida – 2 pinch
- Garlic cloves – 4 to 5 (optional)
- Ghee (clarified butter) - 2 tsp
- Salt – to taste
- Oil – to deep fry
Instructions:
- Grind the garlic cloves in a mixer jar with little water to a paste and let the crushed garlic steep in that water for 1/2 hour. Grease the insides of the murukku mould with oil and keep it ready.
- Heat oil in a deep pan. When hot simmer the flame. In a bowl, mix together rice flour, besan, pottukadalai powder, red chili powder, asafetida and salt besan. Add red chilli powder, asafetida, salt and mix well. Now add the ghee and mix with your finger tips.
- Squeeze the garlic and discard it. Add the garlic infused water to the flour mixture and knead into a soft dough. Add more water if necessary.
- Fill the prepared mould with Ribbon pakoda Jaali with enough dough and press directly into the oil in a circular motion. Cook over medium flame till the sizzling stops and the pakoda turns to a golden brown color.
- Remove over a kitchen paper and let it come to room temperature. Store in an airtight container and enjoy these crispy pakodas at your leisure.
Notes:
- Always keep the dough covered with a damp cloth to avoid the pakodas from darkening.
- You can also use garlic powder instead of garlic itself to save time.
- You can also use dry ginger powder / Sukku instead of garlic for a variation.
- The temperature of the oil should be stable at all the time.
- Always store savories in an air tight container after they come to the room temperature to retain their crispiness.
