Pop-In Pakodas

"There is a privacy about it which no other season gives you.... In spring,
summer and fall people sort of have an open season on each other; only in the
winter, in the country, can you have longer, quiet stretches when you can savor
belonging to yourself."

I love the winters...the season when I can wear my warm fuzzy ping-pong shoes and cuddle up in a blanket with a book...all by myself. And oh it wouldn't hurt if mom would make me some of my favourite dal pakodas (lentil snacks) with a mug of hot chocolate/milk. (I don't have too much of a fascination for tea.)



But then reality strikes,I'm not staying with my mother these days..(d-e-e-p sigh!) ; so I had to get my butt up and make this comfort food for myself (and hubby...that goes without saying, isn't it?!).

I made my urad dal pakodas and yes hot chocolate was made by DH. :)



Pop-In (Urad Dal) Pakodas

Ingredients-
1/2 cup urad dal/split black gram , soaked over night
2 tbsp green coriander leaves, finely chopped
4 tbsp bengal gram flour/chick pea flour
1 tsp carom seeds/ajwain
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt to taste
4-5 tbsp of water, to make the batter

oil to fry


Method-
Grind coarsely the half cup of split black gram/urad dal, in a mixer.
Now in a bowl, mix all the ingredients (except the oil) and form a thick batter.
Heat oil in a wok on medium flame.
While the oil is heating,wet your hands and make tiny balls out of this batter, and keep.
(Size depends on your choice...I personally think tiny snacks are great.)
Deep fry these tiny balls, batch by batch.
Serve hot with chutney of your choice/ketchup.



Tip: Wet your hands often, when making this pakoda, for ease with the batter.

NOTE: The split black gram if consumed in excess can induce flatulence, to prevent this carom seeds are used in this dish, apart from the earthy flavour it lends to the dish. Carom seeds are also known to help purify blood impurities.




These pakodas fill the winter eves with coziness, at Trupti's Recipe Center
and Raaga's Singing Chef Think Spice event.

I also share this with Happy Cook (My Kitchen Treasures) for her Home Made Christmas Gifts event. You can see other great ideas here.

And ofcourse it goes to SriLekha (of Me and My Kitchen) for her EFM-Savouries event this month.