Theepi Pesara Punukulu / Sweet Moongdal Fritters

I am an ardent fan of a cooking show that airs on one of the popular Telugu TV channels and I particularly like the chef's style of cooking.  I am no longer watching the show but have some interesting and traditional recipes scribbled in my journal from the past shows. One of those happens to be these punukulu.

Punukulu / punugulu refer generally to the spicy fritters made with dosa / idli batter that is served as breakfast in Andhra homes. Though I am well versed with the spicy version, we are not the ones who would go with an oil filled kadai for the breakfast. I was contemplating whether to go with this traditional dish for this BM when I suddenly remembered the sweeter version from the show. I had jotted down the recipe since it was intriguing and probably if not for BM, I wouldn't have tried it. :) I prepared a small batch today and they came out really good. The recipe is a simple one and also the punukulu can be prepared quickly. These moong dal fritters are not overtly sweet and are delicious with subtle hints of pepper.

Ingredients: (Yield 10 fritters)
1/2 cup moongdal
1/4 cup powdered jaggery
1 Tbsp rice flour
1/8 tsp black pepper powder
A pinch of salt
Oil to fry

Method:
* Heat oil in a frying pan.
* Wash and soak moong dal for about an hour.
* Drain moong dal completely and grind without adding any water.
* Transfer the ground dal to a bowl, add the remaining ingredients to it and mix well.
* Take small portions of the batter, shape into balls and drop into the oil. Or drop spoonfuls of batter into the hot oil. Fit only as many as the frying pan holds.
* Fry on low flame until golden brown, turning around intermittently with a spoon ensuring that they are cooked through.
* Remove them with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
* Serve them warm.

Check what the other marathoners are cooking during BM#17.

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