Yummy Lentil Fritters

Yummy Lentil Fritters | Punugulu

Recipe of Vegan Lentil Fritters | Punugulu.

Y is for yummy recipes for. Punugulu or lentil fritters are street food in Andhra Pradesh. They are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. It is a favourite deep-fried snack for children and the aged, as it is soft and not spicy. We make it with urad dal or split black lentil and rice batter usually. I have grown up on these Yummy Lentil Fritters | Punugulu and can never have enough of them. As they are ubiquitous, I make them at home rarely. They sell them with spicy chilli fritters; punugulu are bland while the chilli fritters are fiery hot.

Most local homes in Andhra make them with leftover idli/ dosa batter that fermented batter, while others make them with fresh batter. The other day, a friend called to say she was dropping by and I being single, had nothing much in the pantry to serve. I went into the kitchen and my eyes fell on the split black gram I had soaked for idlis in the morning. I had soaked no rice yet, and I went ahead and quickly ground the soaked dal with two green chilis in the mixer and fried these divine golden balls.

Recipe of Yummy Lentil Fritters | Punugulu

The recipe for preparing the batter is quite flexible, but the consistency should be thick enough to drop in hot oil and it has to keep its shape. Punugulu can be made with urad dal batter or idli/dosa batter or even with moong batter. You can make them with fresh batter or fermented one; depends on individual choice What you add to the batter is also your choice, you can just make them plain with just a pinch of salt or add chopped green chillies, onions, cumin seeds and coriander leaves as I did.

Recipe for Lentil Fritters

INGREDIENTS

1 cup urad dal soaked

Salt to taste

Oil to deep fry as needed

2 green chillies

1 large onion (finely chopped)

½ tsp cumin

Fresh coriander leaves

¼ tsp red chilli powder

METHOD

Wash urad dal a few times till the water looks clear. Soak it for at least 4 hrs. Wash urad dal a few times till the water looks clear. Soak it for at least 4 hrs.

Grind dal to a smooth batter with just enough water so that it is thick and of dropping consistency. I added the green chilli while blending itself. Transfer the batter to a bowl and add salt. If your batter is thin, then don’t panic as you can add a spoon or two of regular Maida or all-purpose flour.

Beat the batter with your fingers for a few minutes, as this would make your Punugulu turn out softer and fluffier. Add the cumin, finely chopped onion and coriander leaves and red chilli powder and mix nicely with your hand. Now adjust the consistency, if required, you may add a little water or go ahead if the consistency is right. Heat oil to hot, and adjust the flame to medium-high. It must not be too low and not too high.

Heat the oil. Once the oil is hot wet your fingers and drop the batter into small balls in the hot oil.

Fry the balls till they are golden in colour and drain on paper towels.

Serve them piping hot with your favourite chutney.

Recipe of Yummy Lentil Fritters | Punugulu

As they caught me unawares, I didn’t have any chutney ready. I didn’t want to serve the delicious punugulu with ketchup. I took a little tomato pickle and added it to two tablespoons of fresh yoghurt, and I had a great dip ready. Try it, it’s great!

My friend doesn’t relish fried food much, and I gingerly served her four of them. She polished off the Recipe of Vegan Lentil Fritters | Punugulu in a minute and asked for a second helping and a third!

Cooking for family and friends is not a chore but a real pleasure. For me, it is a way to show family and friends that I care about them. I connect to food through memories of my family dinners. My memories of childhood are about my mom’s cooking. . I totally believe in the old saying that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach and I am sure I made a place in my late husband’s heart and my son’s through my cooking.

If you like this Recipe for Punugulu or Lentil Fritters do try it out and share the pictures.