Ribbon Pakoda/Ribbon Thenkuzhal

With Diwali and cold weather fast approaching, ideas for some crispy savories start floating around family and friends. And this is what happened in my house yesterday. My mother-in-law and I were thinking about what bakshanams to make for this year’s Diwali. All this discussion got my father-in-law suggesting that we make something that afternoon itself for evening snacks.
I looked in the kitchen cabinets to see if we have considerable amounts of flours to make something. I had little besan/chickpea flour and little rice flour at home. Hence, we decided on something simple and tasty  ribbon pakoda/ ribbon thenkuzhal. My mother-in-law taught me this recipe and I was amazed at how easy the whole thing was!!!

Ingredients

Besan/Chickpea flour – 3 ladles

Rice flour – 3 ladles

Chili powder – 2 tsps (adjust to taste)

Hing – a pinch

Salt to taste

Ghee – 2 or 3 tsps

Oil – for frying

Savories mould available in Indian stores

Method

Mix all the dry ingredients nicely. Add ghee and mix well. Now slowly add water and make dough. The dough should not be too hard or too watery. In a kadai or pan, heat oil nicely.

Fit the pakoda plate in the savories mould. Add a handful of the dough into the mould. Press the dough out of the mould by keeping it atop the hot oil. Ribbon pakodas are circular in shape. So press the dough in circles to get this shape.

Keep turning the ribbon in the oil evenly on both sides to cook nicely on all sides. Remove from stove when you see the pakoda turning slightly red. Enjoy this crispy snack with hot tea or coffee.