Ribbon Pakoda
Krishna Janmashttami heralds the beginning of festival season with mouth watering offerings to the Lord. Ribbon pakoda or nada pakoda as it is popularly called is one of the many tasty offerings.
This is a popular crunchy made during Janmashtami.
It is very simple and easy too.
Ingredients :
4 cups rice flour ( good fresh store bought is enough)
2 cups besan/gram flour
1/2 tsp asafoetida powder
salt to taste
1 1/2 tsp chilli powder ( adjust as you like)
2 tbsp hot melted ghee or fresh butter at room temp. Even hot oil is sufficient. Butter tastes best!
1 tsp of white sesame seeds
oil for deep frying
Method
Sieve the flours , add all the dry ingredients and then the hot melted ghee/ hot oil or butter.
Before proceeding to make the soft dough, mix all the ingredients with hand so that the oil/butter /ghee will coat the flours well and yo will, get a nice crumbly texture.
Then add little water at a time till you get a nice soft dough. Dont make it too soft or too tight a dough.
You should be able to pinch off smooth firm balls to put in the ribbon pakoda maker.called the murruku press which has several designed plates inside. Choose the one with two slits used to make ribbon pakodas.
Take the Pakoda maker,( Murruku press ) keep the slitted plate inside, grease if necessary and drop a small ball of the dough.
Meanwhile the oil should be kept for heating, test by dropping a small bit of the dough., it should come up sizzling which means the oil is ready.
You can prepare the nada pakoda straight into the hot oil in a circular way or any manner as it really doesnt matter.
Let the flame be kept on medium heat and turn the pakodas over to cook well on all sides.
When you see them firming up and looking brown, the oil would have stopped sizzling , take them out and when cool check then for taste and crunch.
The beauty of this recipe is you can make adjustments even after the dough has been prepared.So keep aside some flour ready for adding if need be though it may not be necessary.
It is always a good idea to start with small batch like 2 cups and proportionate recipe. so that mistakes can be corrected but you cannot make mistakes with this recipe as it is perfected and tried many times over.
Below are three youtube videos of ribbon pakoda with small changes, do c heck them out , all are delicious .
A millet cucumber dosa is a nutritious and delicious take on the traditional dosa, using kodo millets , methi seeds and cucumber as key ingredients.
Veg makhanwala is a popular vegetarian dish in Indian cuisine. It is a creamy and rich curry made with mixed vegetables cooked in a buttery tomato-based gravy.
Thogayal has its roots deeply embedded in the culinary traditions of Tamil Brahmin (Tambram) households, where it has been a quintessential part of daily meals for generations. Its origin lies in the need for simple, wholesome, and flavorful accompaniments that align with the vegetarian and satvik dietary principles followed by Tambrams.
Millets adai is a popular South Indian dish that combines various millets with lentils and spices to create a nutritious and delicious pancake-like preparation.This millets adai is a wholesome and nutritious option for a meal, offering a good balance of carbohydrates, proteins, and fiber.
Pulinkari is a deliciously tangy gravy from Palakkad, made with a medley of vegetables like pumpkin, taro (colocasia), and drumsticks, or simply two varieties of pumpkin. It’s a household favorite and a staple in my kitchen .
Dahi tadka is a popular Indian dish made with yogurt (dahi) that is tempered with various spices and sometimes garnished with herbs like coriander. The tempering typically includes ingredients like mustard seeds, cumin seeds, garlic, dried red chilies, and curry leaves, which are fried in oil or ghee until fragrant and then poured over the yogurt.
Thiruvadirai Thalagam is a traditional South Indian curry prepared during the Thiruvadirai festival, which is celebrated in Tamil Nadu. Thiruvadirai is a festival dedicated to Lord Shiva, and Thalagam is a mixed vegetable curry made with a variety of tubers, lentils, and spices. It is typically served with Kali (a sweet rice dish) during the festival.