Easy Rava Pakoda/ Semolina Fritters – Perfect tea time snack

What is the perfect way to enjoy your day while raining? For me, it is no doubt enjoying hot tea while munching this Rava pakoda. Maybe any pakodas, lol.

What is Pakoda/ Pakora?

Pakoda/ Pakora is a fried snack originating from the Indian Subcontinent. It is popularly called pakodi, bhjiya, bhaji, bajji across the country. The main ingredients to make pakodas are veggies like onion, potato, spinach, cauliflower, plantain, or meat like a chicken. 

Any of these are dipped in gram flour/ besan flour batter mixed with a few spices. Then deep fried in hot oil to make crispy pakoda. For this Rava pakoda, we use Rava or semolina to make the batter with onions and deep-fried. This is a little crispier than other pakodas. 

How to make Sooji pakora/ Rava pakoda?

Take all ingredients except oil in a bowl. Whisk it to smooth paste without any lumps. Add the required water to make a thick batter. Rest it for 10 minutes. So the sooji soaks up the water. After 10 minutes whisk it again. Heat oil in a deep pan. Drop a spoonful of batter into the hot oil. Turn the flame to medium. When one side is cooked, flip it to another side. Cook till golden. Drain in the kitchen towel or tissue. Serve hot.

A short video to make Rava Pakoda

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Let’s discuss the ingredients 

Sooji/ Rava/ Semolina – You can call it by many names. This is the coarse, purified wheat middlings of durum wheat mainly used in making upma, pasta. (source – Wikipedia)

Rice flour – We are adding a small quantity of rice flour to make the pakodas crispy.

Yogurt – We use yogurt to mix the sooji and other ingredients to smooth the paste without lumps. Then add the required water.

Ginger Garlic paste – We use half a tsp of ginger garlic paste to give some flavor and help indigestion. Learn how to make ginger garlic paste at home.

Cumin seeds – We add cumin seeds to give flavor. Cumin seeds have many nutritional values. The studies say, they help in weight reduction, help to fight stress. In our house, we consume cumin seeds with water to combat digestive issues.

Green chili – We use green chili for flavor. I used only one and my kids are fine with it. If you do not want the heat of green chili, you can add crushed peppercorns.

Onions – The finely chopped onions give a little crunch. You can add more than I mentioned if you like it. 

How to serve the Sooji pakora

Serve sooji pakora with sweet and sour tamarind chutney or simply with ketchup. The pakora will be crispy while hot. If you leave it outside for a long time, it may turn soft.

 If you like this recipe, you may also like 

Aloo/ Potato Fritters

Banana Fritters

Ragi Pakoda

Baked whole wheat methi puri

 If you are health conscious, then try our Air fried Paruppu Vada/ Chana dal Fritters.

Recipe for Rava Pakoda/ Sooji Pakora

Ingredients

Sooji/Rava/ Semolina – ¾ Cup

Rice Flour – 1 Tbsp

Curd/ yogurt – ¼ Cup

Onion – ¼ Cup finely chopped

Green Chili – 1 ( see notes)

Cumin Seeds – 1/2 Tsp

Curry leaves – a few chopped

Cilantro – a few chopped

Salt – as required

Hing – a pinch

Water – ½ Cup ( see notes)

Oil – to deep fry

Method

• Take all ingredients except oil and water in a bowl.
• Whisk it to a smooth paste.
• Add requires water to make a thick batter.
•  Let it rest for 10 minutes. The sooji soaks up the water.
• Heat oil in a pan.
• Whisk the batter thoroughly. Add a little bit of water if it is too thick. 
• Drop a spoonful of batter in hot oil. Turn the flame to medium heat.
• When one side is cooked, flip to the other side using a slotted spoon.
• Cook till it turns golden.
• Once cooked, remove it from the kitchen towel to drain.
• Serve hot.

Notes

1. I added green chili but you can also add crushed pepper instead of it.
2. Though I mentioned ½ Cup water, you may not need the all. Adjust as per your requirement. It also depends on the quality of the sooji. Some absorb more water.

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