Punugulu Recipe

• Wash rice and urad dal in a large bowl. Soak rice and urad dal in 4 cups of water in a large bowl for 5 hours.
• Strain the water completely from the soaked rice and urad dal. Grind the rice and dal to a coarse batter with little water. Ensure that the batter is thick enough.
• Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add semolina to the batter and keep aside for 15 minutes.
• Finely chop the green chili and onion. Add chopped chili, ginger, and onion to the batter and stir well. Add the salt and cumin to the batter.
• Pour oil in a pan and heat for deep frying.
• Check the consistency of batter by dropping a small quantity in the oil. If the batter rises without spreading, it is of the right consistency. In case the batter spreads, add a tsp of semolina to the batter.
• Make round balls of the batter and put them in the hot oil. Fry the fritters until golden in color and crispy on both the sides.

Punugulu can also be made using idli-dosa batter instead of grinding the rice and urad dal for an instant snack.

Trivia

The pungulu recipe is based on rice. Did you know rice has been cultivated for almost 5000 years now? Rice is considered auspicious in many cultures and is a part of traditional ceremonies. In almost all cultures, rice is thrown over the heads of the bride and the groom for blessing them with fertility and good fortune.