A delightful variation of the traditional south Indian murukku, the crispy ribbon pakoda is a festival delicacy and makes for a perfect evening snack as well. Also known as olapakoda, ribbon murukku, and nada thenkuzhal, the crisp snack can be easily made at home with a handful of ingredients. The ribbon pakoda is very popular in South India as an evening snack to be relished with some hot tea and is specially made during Diwali.
Packing this for your kid’s lunch? Make sure you pack them in your kids snack boxes.
Health Benefits
Red chili is rich in vitamin A, B, and K and help in building immunity. The asafetida added to the rice pakoda aids in digestion.
Ingredients
murukku Maker
oil — for frying (vegetable/coconut according to taste)
water — for kneading
tbsp hot oil: 1
tbsp melted butter: 1
tsp sesame seeds: 1
tsp cumin seeds: 1
a pinch of heeng (asafoetida)
tsp red chili — powdered: 1
tsp salt: 1/2
cup besan (gram flour): 3/4
cup rice flour: 1
How To Make Ribbon Pakoda recipe
- Sieve rice flour and gram flour together. Add red chili powder, sesame seeds, asafoetida, melted butter, cumin seeds, and hot oil.
- Add water slowly and knead to a soft dough.
- Apply oil to grease the murruku maker. Place the disc with slits inside and fill the dough into the machine.
- Add oil to a pan and heat over medium flame. Allow it to turn hot. Release thin strips shaped like ribbons from the murukku maker in concentric circles starting from the center slowly going outwards.
- When they are crisp on one side, flip to other side and remove with a slotted spoon once golden brown. Ensure it is fried evenly on both sides, a golden-brown color on the murukku is an indicator. Place the ribbon pakoda on a tissue paper to absorb excess oil.
- Allow it to cool and store in an airtight container.
Ideally, the nozzle or the slit disc in the murukku maker is responsible for the shape of murukku. The same dough with slight variations can be used to make murukku of different shapes.
Trivia
Interestingly, rice powder has been used by women in Asia to enhance natural beauty— it acts as a natural anti-aging agent and will absorb excess oil from your skin. It is also great for acne-prone skin. Furthermore, it heals and soothes the skin that is burnt from sun rays.