Diwali Snacks - Vegetable Pakoda (Veg Pakora)

Vegetable Bajji or Pakkoda

Ingredients:

·        Onion-2

·        Greenchili-2

·        Potato-1

·        Carrot-1

·        Curry leaves- a few

·        Chickpea flour (Gram flour, Bengal gram flour, or Besan)

·        Cumin seeds-a pinch

·        Red chili powder-1/2 tsp

·        Turmeric powder-a pinch

·        Edible oil for deep frying

·        Salt to taste

Method of preparation:

·        Grate onion, potato, green chili, and carrot thin.

·        Make a thick mixture of Chickpea flour and water.

·        Add chili powder, salt turmeric and crushed cumin seeds (crushed).

·        Stir well.

·        Add the grated vegetables with curry leaves and stir.

·        Heat oil in a thick pan for deep frying.

·        Put a small portion of the mixture in hot oil in different surface areas (not together) in small quantities for deep frying until light brown. Remove from oil, and drain by placing on a tissue paper.

·        Repeat deep frying till all the mixture is used.

·        Serve hot with chutney, thuvaiyal, thokku, sambar, pickle, sauce, or ketchup.

Ragi Murukku

Deepavali Snack

Kezhvaragu murukku / Keppai maavu murukku

Ingredients:

·        Ragi flour (Keppai maavu) - 1 cup

·        Gram flour (kadalai maavu, Bengal gram flour, chickpea flour, garbanzo flour, chana dal flour, or besan) - 1 cup

·        Rice flour (arisi maavu)- 1/4 cup

·        Cumin seeds (seerakam, jeerakam, Jira, Jeera , Zira) - 1 tsp

·        Pepper powder (milaku thool) – a little

·        Chili powder (milakai podi) – a little

·        Edible oil for deep frying

·        Salt to taste

Method of preparation:

·        Mix all the ingredients (except oil) in a bowl.

·        Add water and knead to get dough.

·        Heat oil in a pan.

·        Fill the murukku mold (a machine for making murukku) with a part of the dough.

·        Press the dough in the machine so as to be squeezed over the hot oil.

·        While getting fried, we can see air bubbles emerge out from oil.

·        When the bubbles stop coming out of murukku being fried, remove from oil and collect them oil free on an oil absorbing paper.

Preserve in an airtight container and enjoy eating this delicious crispy snack everyday.