Pakavada / Ribbon Pakoda

As kids, when ever the study leave starts my mom used to make snacks and store it so that while we would be home the entire day, we could keep munching. Pakavada, used to be one such snack. I used to love pairing it with soda. Yes, you heard it right. It may sound strange but yes I used to loooove it. May be because back then I didn't use to have tea/coffee and so when I had it with sizzling drinks(non-alcoholic) I kind of got hooked on to that combination. But I still like it.

Well, these are super easy to make and equally addictive. You know, like, when you are watching a movie having popcorn and realize that they got over only when you can't get hold of another popcorn, its the same with this snack. The request to make these 'again' used to be put up to my mom within a day or two of her having made these in bulk. Yes, they would have been munched down by us, pretty quickly.

This tends to be a great tea time snack. Try it and don't feel sorry if you gets addictive to these :).

Ingredients

1. 1 cup of Chick Pea flour/Kadalamavu
2. 1 3/4 cup of roasted white rice flour 
3. 1/2 tsp of Asafoetida
4. 2 tsp of red chilly powder
5. 1 tsp of salt
6. Water as required
7. Oil for frying
8. 2 sprigs of curry leaves 

Method

• In a bowl, take the ingredients 1-5. Mix it well to spread evenly. Pour in water little by little and mix it with your hand to form a dough. The dough should be soft and non sticky. Cover and keep it aside.
• Heat oil in a pan.
• Attach the ribbon shaped mould on the string hooper mould/chakli presser. Fill the presser with the dough.
• Once the oil is hot, turn down the heat to medium high. Start pressing down the dough through the presser directly into the oil. Fry it to the consistency of your desire, by flipping it, to cook them evenly. Do not burn it. It usually gets done when the bubbles stop forming around the pakavada.
• Remove the pakavada on to a bowl/colander, lined with paper towel. 
• Once you are done frying the entire dough, break the pakavada into smaller strips with your hands. 
• Fry the curry leaves in the same oil and top it on the pakavada.
• Once they cool down, store it in a dry air tight container. 
• Have it with tea/coffee or may be aerated soft drinks (I love it that way :))

Tips

1. Keep the dough covered while you are frying one set of dough, to prevent the dough from drying out.
2. Usually, pakavada is made with chick pea flour alone. But I love adding rice flour to provide that extra crispiness and also mellows down the taste of chick pea flour. My mom makes it this way and I have loved having it this way rather than the usual store bought ones.