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Moong dal pakode
मूंग दाल पकौड़े (moong dal pakode): fluffy fritters of coarsely ground moong dal with ginger and green chilli
When the monsoon breaks over Delhi, the pakora stalls of Lajpat Nagar and the lanes off Chandni Chowk do their best trade, and moong dal pakode are the favourite: light, airy balls of soaked and coarsely ground yellow lentils, fried until crunchy and served in paper plates with grated white radish and green chutney. They are naturally gluten free and vegan. Chef's tip: beat the ground batter hard with your hand for a few minutes; the trapped air is what makes them fluffy inside.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the pakode
- 7 oz split yellow moong dalsoaked for 3 hours
- 1 tbsp fresh gingerfinely chopped
- 2 green chilliesfinely chopped
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seedscoarsely crushed
- ¾ tsp salt
- ⅓ oz fresh corianderchopped
- 4 ¼ cups sunflower oil, for deep-frying
To serve
- 5 ½ oz white radish (mooli)coarsely grated
- 4 tbsp green coriander-mint chutney
- ½ tsp chaat masala
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Drain 7 oz split yellow moong dal very well. Grind in short pulses with no more than 2 tbsp water to a coarse, thick paste with some broken grains. Common mistake: adding too much water; a runny batter makes flat, oily pakode.
4 minStep 2: Tip into a bowl and beat with your hand in one direction for 3–4 minutes, until paler and fluffy. A drop of batter should float in a cup of water.
4 minStep 3: Fold in 1 tbsp fresh ginger, 2 green chillies, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp coriander seeds, ¾ tsp salt and ⅓ oz fresh coriander.
Step 4: Pour 4 ¼ cups sunflower oil, for deep-frying into a deep, heavy pan so it is no more than a third full and heat it over a medium heat to 350°F on a thermometer; with no thermometer, a small cube of bread should turn golden in about 65 seconds. Never leave hot oil unattended, and keep children well away.
5 minStep 5: Drop in walnut-sized blobs of batter from your fingertips or a teaspoon, 8–10 at a time. Fry for 4–5 minutes, turning, until deep golden and crisp. Break one open to check: the inside should be cooked and spongy, not wet.
15 minStep 6: Drain on kitchen paper. Serve hot with 5 ½ oz white radish (mooli) sprinkled with ½ tsp chaat masala, and 4 tbsp green coriander-mint chutney.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 310 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does moong dal pakode take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
- What can I use instead of cumin seeds?
- Ground cumin, three quarters of the amount (add it with the other ground spices, not to hot oil first).
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