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Punugulu
పునుగులు: Vijayawada's crunchy little fritters from dosa batter with onion and green chilli
Punugulu are the bite-sized, golden fritters sold by the paper-cone along the streets of Vijayawada and Guntur on wet evenings, and made at home whenever the idli or dosa batter has gone a little too sour. A spoonful of thick batter with onion, green chilli and cumin is dropped into hot oil, where it puffs into a round ball with a crackly shell and a soft, spongy middle. Serve them hot with peanut chutney, ginger chutney or plain ketchup and a cup of chai. Chef's tip: add a spoonful of rice flour to the batter; it gives punugulu their crunch and stops them soaking up oil.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the batter
For frying
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Stir 3 tbsp rice flour, 1 onion, 3 green chillies, 1 tsp fresh ginger, ½ tsp cumin seeds, 8 curry leaves, 1 pinch bicarbonate of soda and ¼ tsp salt if needed into 1 ¾ cups thick fermented idli or dosa batter, preferably slightly sour. It must be thick: a spoonful should hold its shape and drop slowly. Add more rice flour if it runs.
Step 2: Heat 3 ¼ cups groundnut or sunflower oil in a kadai over a medium heat to about 350°F; a drop of batter should rise to the top in 2 seconds with a steady sizzle.
6 minStep 3: Drop small spoonfuls (about 1 tbsp) into the oil with a spoon or your fingers, 10–12 at a time, without crowding. They'll sink, then float and puff.
Step 4: Fry over a medium heat for 4–5 minutes, turning them often, until deep golden all over and crisp; they should sound light and crackly against the slotted spoon. Common mistake: frying on a high flame; they brown in a minute but stay gummy and raw inside.
5 minStep 5: Drain on kitchen paper and fry the rest, letting the oil come back to temperature between batches. Serve hot with chutney.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 34 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does punugulu take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 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 onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
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