Ribbon Pakoda | Ribbon Murukku

Making dough

1. In a spice grinder or grinder jar, take the roasted chana dal, 1 dry red chilli (broken and seeds removed) and cumin seeds. You can choose to add ½ to 1 teaspoon red chili powder and ½ teaspoon cumin powder instead of dry red chili and cumin seeds.
2. Grind to a fine powder and set aside.
3. Take a plate, pan or a large mixing bowl. Place a sieve on top of it. Add gram flour and rice flour.
4. Then add the ground roasted chana dal, salt and asafoetida. 
5. Sift the whole mixture.
6. Next add white sesame seeds to the mixture and set aside. 
7. In a small pan or a bowl heat 2 tablespoons butter or oil. I have used salted butter, but you can even use unsalted butter.
8. Heat till all the butter melts. Now add the hot melted butter in the flour mixture.
9. With a spoon or spatula mix the butter with the flour. Mix very well. Check the taste and if required you can add some more salt.
10. Now add ⅓ cup water in parts and begin to knead the flour mixture.
11. Knead to a smooth and non-sticky dough. Cover and set aside. If the dough looks dry then you can add some more water. If it becomes sticky then add some more gram flour. 

Frying ribbon pakoda

1. Use the nozzle shown in the below picture for preparing ribbon pakoda. This one has serrated edges. You can even use the plain one without the serrated edges. Also heat a kadai and add oil as required for deep frying ribbon pakoda.
2. Apply some water or oil in the chakli/murukku maker. Then take a portion of the dough and place it inside the murukku maker. Cover and seal with the top part and keep aside.
3. Let the oil in the kadai become medium hot. Check the oil temperature by adding a small piece of the dough. If the dough comes up gradually and steadily on top, the oil is hot enough to fry. If it comes up too quickly, then oil is too hot. If it settles down at bottom of kadai or comes up very slowly, the oil is not hot enough.
4. When the oil is hot enough, directly press holding the murukku maker on top of the oil and let the ribbon murukku directly fall in the oil.
5. While pressing rotate in a concentric circle from the center to outwards on top of the kadai or pan. Do not over crowd the kadai with ribbon pakoda. Add as needed without overcrowding the kadai.
6. After adding the murukku, do not touch them immediately with the slotted spoon as they break. Let them get fried first. They need to become crisp first and then you can turn them over with the slotted spoon.
7. Fry till they have become light golden.
8. Turn over the ribbon pakoda gently with a slotted spoon, so that they get fried evenly.
9. Now fry this side also till it becomes light golden.
10. Turn over a couple of times for even frying. Fry till they are crisp and golden.
11. When the oil stops sizzling it means the pakoda are fried. Then remove them with a slotted spoon or a strainer spoon. Do not over brown or else the pakora becomes slightly dense. Also do not fry at low heat or low flame or else the pakora absorbs too much oil.
12. Place them on kitchen paper towels. Fry the remaining pakoda in the same way.
13. When they are cooled, then place them in an air-tight container or box.
14. Serve ribbon pakoda as a diwali snack or a tea time snack.