Button or mini idlis dipped in lentil batter, cooked in an appam pan, giving an absolutely crunchy outside and cushiony soft inside, making it a snack perfect for guilt-free indulgences is idli pakoda. It is flavoured with fresh coriander seeds, fennel seeds etc. The best part about this recipe is that it can be customised as per liking. The cute idli pakodas are a delight for the kids. Just top these with a drop of ketchup and serve. Further, insert a toothpick and serve it as a party appetizer. Idli pakoda are perfect for breakfast or tea time too.
Update: Recently when made these idli pakodas I used moong dal for the batter and flavored the batter with a garlic clove, ginger piece, fennel seeds and coriander seeds. These tasted divine.
Mini Rava Idli: Here is the link to mini idli. These are very soft and spongy idlis. Mini idli can be used in a number of ways. One of which is this recipe. Vegetable idli can also be prepared using mini idli.
Lentil (dal): Well, I have always used chawla aka lobiya for this recipe. The beans are soaked well and thereafter ground to a paste, flavored and used to make idli pakoda. You can use other lentils too such as moong dals, both skinned and with skin will work for this, chana dal, or a combination of dals.
Flavoring: I have kept the flavoring very minimal with few basic spices and fresh coriander etc.
Oil: The best part about this recipe is that it gives great results using very little oil. The pakodas are fried in an appam pan. And therefore very little oil is used.
Like my hubby, if you too don’t like converting the fried snacks into non-fried ones and love the originals, irrespective of the calories, you can try this idli pakoda recipe which is a typical pakoda. This recipe makes a perfect item for kids’ tiffin. There are plenty of kids tiffin recipes which you can check here. Do not miss to bookmark this page as it is updated at least twice a week with one or more new recipes.
Serve these hot with some hari chutney for breakfast.
1.This recipe serves 4-6 persons.
2. Take 1.5 cup chawla in a bowl. Add 3 cups of water. Soak for 3-4 hours. I generally prepare this recipe for breakfast, so I leave it overnight. 3-4 hours is the minimum time. You can leave the lentil to soak overnight.
3. To prepare the batter for pakoras, drain off the water in which we had soaked the lentil.
4. Grind it to a nice paste. It shouldn’t be coarse. Add 4-5 tbsp water to get a pasty consistency which coats easily on our idlis.
5. Take out the lentil batter in another bowl and add salt to taste, 1/2 tsp turmeric pwoder1 tsp red chilli powder, 1.5 tsp coriander powder, 1.5 tsp fennel powder and 2-3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves. Mix everything well. Check the seasoning.
6.Now coat the mini idlis in the lentil batter. Use spoons to coat the batter. In case the idlis refuse to get coated, add 1-2 tbsp gram flour.
7. Heat the appe pan. Add 1-2 tsp oil. Once it heats, fry the pakoras. Keep turning them and fry till nice golden brown.
8.Serve hot. Bon appetit!
PREP TIME 3-4 hours + 15 minutes
COOK TIME 20 minutes
TOTAL TIME 3-4 hours + 35 minutes
For the idlis:
Here is the recipe for mini/button idli
For the batter:
For frying:
1. Take lobiya/black eyed peas in a bowl. Add 3 cups of water. Soak for 3-4 hours. I generally prepare this recipe for breakfast, so I leave it overnight. 3-4 hours is the minimum time. You can leave the lentil to soak overnight.
2. While the idlis are cooking or cooling, as it suits you, you can prepare the lentil batter. For that, drain off the water in which we had soaked the lentils.
3. Grind the lentil to a nice paste. It shouldn’t be coarse. Add 4-5 tbsp water to get a pasty consistency which coats easily on our idlis.
4. After grinding, add salt to taste, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1.5 tsp coriander powder, 1.5 tsp fennel powder and 2-3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves. Mix everything well. Check the seasoning.
5. Now coat the idlis in the lentil batter. Use spoons to coat the batter. In case the idlis refuse to get coated, add 1-2 tbsp gram flour.
6. Heat the appam pan. Add 1-2 tsp oil. Once it heats, fry the pakoras. Keep turning them and fry till nice golden brown. You can even deep fry them.
7. Serve them hot with green chutney or ketchup.
P.S. the final images of idli pakodas look different as these pakodas have been prepared using moong dal instead of chawla/lobia.
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