Moong Dal Pakoda also called Moong Dal Bhajiya or Moong Dal Vada are mildly spiced fried fritters made with yellow mung lentils, herbs and spices.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 240 minutes
  • Cook time: 30 minutes
  • Total time: 270 minutes
  • Yield: 3
  • Category: Snacks
  • Cuisine: Indian, Mumbai Street Food

Ingredients

  • 1 cup moong dal ((split and hulled mung lentils))
  • 1.5 cups water (or as required, for soaking moong lentils)
  • 1 or 2 green chilies (- chopped roughly or ½ to 1 teaspoon, chopped)
  • 1 inch ginger (- chopped)
  • 1 pinch asafoetida ((hing))
  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • ⅛ cup water (or as required, for grinding the lentils)
  • salt (as required)
  • oil (as required for deep frying or shallow frying)

Method

Making moong pakoda batter

  1. In a bowl, soak moong dal in enough water for about 3 to 4 hours or overnight. Drain the water and add them to a grinder or blender.
  2. Add the chopped green chilies, ginger and asafoetida. Add water and grind to a fine and smooth consistency. You can add some more water if required while grinding.
  3. Coarsely crush the black pepper and coriander seeds in a mortar-pestle.
  4. Add these to the ground moong dal batter. Add salt and mix well.
  5. Stir the batter vigorously for a few minutes as this helps in aerating the batter.

Frying moong dal pakoda

  1. Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or pan.
  2. Drop spoonfuls of the pakora batter in medium hot oil and fry till crisp and golden.
  3. When the pakodas look light golden, turn over them gently and continue to fry.
  4. You will have to flip the pakoras a couple of times for even cooking.
  5. Once the pakora becomes crisp and golden then remove them with a slotted spoon draining as much oil as possible in the kadai.
  6. Then place the moong dal bhajiya on paper napkins to remove excess oil.
  7. Serve the moong dal pakoda hot or warm with chutney varieties like coriander chutney or mint chutney or tamarind chutney or just plain tomato ketchup. You can serve it with any green chutney. They makes for a good evening snack accompanies with tea.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.