Punugulu is a dish from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana coastal regions in South India and is a door-to-door favourite snack, consumed with much love. It has become one of the most favoured tea-time snacks or even street food, recommended by everyone - locals and tourists alike, for the delight it offers in the crunch that rolls out from its outer crusts to the airy sensations inside, separating it from other snacks. The Punugulu recipe is crispy and delicious. Punugulu preparation begins with a unique batter consisting of soaked rice and urad dal or black gram. After soaking, the rice and dal are blended into a smooth paste and then allowed to ferment. Fermentation is very important since it gives the batter a subtle tanginess and lightness that contribute to flavour and texture. The recipe of punugulu is straightforward. The batter is seasoned with various ingredients once it has fermented. Finely chopped onions, green chillies, ginger, and fresh curry leaves make up a typical addendum that infuses aromatic flavours and traces of spices into this mixture. It is formed into small round fritters and fried deep for it to turn golden brown and crispy. The frying gives a satisfying contrast between the crunchy exterior and the soft, fluffy interior. Punugulu is best relished when hot and served with chutneys like coconut or spicy tomato chutney. Some recipes can add grated carrots or peas and colours and nourishment to this dish. Punugulu is one of those dishes that could be relished as a quick snack at home or on the roadside stall. What other reasons could a dish need to be sought after when it has an irresistible taste, easy preparation, and satisfying texture? This dish can be lovely to share with family and friends. Punugulu must be tried for those discovering the South Indian delights.

• 2 cup idli dosa batter
• 2 tbsp poha
• Salt
• Oil
• 2 green chilies
• 11/2 cup onion
• 11/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 3¼ tsp ginger

• Start with proper cleaning of the urad dal with running water. This will remove all impurities from it and will be reflected in a clean taste in your final preparation.
• Soak the cleaned dal in a bowl covered with sufficient water. Keep the mixture for 4 to 6 hours or, ideally, overnight. This will soften the dal, thus making it easier to grind and more digestible.
• Drain the water from the dal after it is soaked. Now, put the soaked dal into a blender or even a wet grinder. Add a little water-not too much, though -to help grind the dal. It should yield a thick but smooth paste.
• Check the consistency after grinding. The batter should be thick enough to hold a shape but soft enough to spread. If the mixture is a little too runny, a bit more urad dal or rice flour is added to thicken it.
• Transfer the ground dal to a mixing bowl when it reaches your desired consistency.
• Gradually add rice flour to the ground dal mixture. Rice flour is added to the ground dal mixture to make the punugulu crispy; hence, do not miss this ingredient.
• Now, put cumin seeds, mustard seeds, chopped green chillies, finely chopped onions, and curry leaves into the mixture. Now add salt according to your taste. This ingredient mixture will add a lot of flavour to your prepared punugulu.
• Now mix the dough with a spatula or your hands until you get a uniform consistency. The batter should be cohesive with spices well distributed.
• Check the consistency of the batter at this stage. If your batter is too thick, add enough water with caution, such that you do not add too much to make your batter runny. Ideally, the batter should be consistent, forming a ball that does not collapse immediately.
• Heat oil in a deep frying pan or kadai at medium heat. Oil is hot enough to fry if it sizzles up and rises when you drop some small amount of batter into it.
• Take small portions of the batter, either by using your hands or a spoon, and shape them into very small round balls or fritters. They should be equal in size so that they cook uniformly.
• Put the shaped batter gently into the hot oil, and don't overcrowd the pan. Fry in batches if necessary. Let punugulu get golden brown and crispy all over for almost 4 to 5 minutes.
• While they turn golden brown, remove the punugulu with a slotted spoon and place it on paper towels so that excess oil drains off well. Thus crunchiness is well maintained.
• Serve the hot punugulu with your choice of sauces- coconut chutney, spicy tomato chutney or even yoghurt. The crunch of the outer shell and softness of the inner part make punugulu enjoyable.
• It can even be had with sambar or rasam as a complete meal enjoyed as a snack during tea time, or even as just an appetiser at parties.
• You can even cut down on the green chillies that go into the batter as you can adjust the heat according to your spice tolerance level; you can also try adding grated ginger or garlic for added flavour.
• For an even crunchier texture, add a tablespoon of semolina (rava) to the batter. That will add a nice crunch to your punugulu.
• You can add grated carrots or finely chopped bell peppers to the batter for added nutrition and flavours.
• Make some extra batter and refrigerate it for up to a day. Just remember to let it come to room temperature before frying.
• Punugulu can be served sprinkled with chaat masala for that added zing or, with a tangy twist, drizzled with tamarind chutney.