Punugulu recipe with step by step pics – punugulu are spiced, crisp and tasty fritters made with idli batter or dosa batter. They are popular street food in some parts of Andhra Pradesh. They make for a quick and tasty snack if you have idli dosa batter ready.
Punugulu can be made with freshly ground idli batter or fermented idli dosa batter. If you like sour tasting fritters, then you can use idli batter which has become slightly sour or a 2 to 3 days old batter. Usually I make these fritters on the second day.
Punugulu or punukulu are a variation of the paniyaram, but just that they are fried instead of cooking them in the appe pan. Of course you can make punugulu in the appe pan too, but the taste will be like paniyarams.
There are many variations you can make in the punugulu recipe – like adding greens to the batter or changing the spices and herbs as per your taste.
You can even skip onions in the recipe. It can also be a simple version with only cumin and green chilies. For more crispness, I add fine rava (semolina) to the batter, but you can even add rice flour.
Punugulu makes for a quick and easy snack, if you have the idli dosa batter ready. You can serve it with any chutney. Usually we prefer it with coconut chutney or peanut chutney.
How to make Punugulu Recipe
1. Take 1 cup idli batter or dosa batter in a bowl. Let the batter come to room temperature, if you have refrigerated it. Here I have used idli batter.
2. Add the following ingredients and mix very well with a spoon.
- 1 tablespoon rava or semolina (optional)
- ¼ cup chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon chopped curry leaves
- ½ inch ginger (finely chopped)
- 1 or 2 green chilies (chopped)
- 2 to 3 teaspoons chopped coriander leaves
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
Frying punugulu
3. Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or pan. You can use any neutral flavored oil. Test a small portion of the batter in medium hot oil.
4. The outside should be crisp and the inside should be soft and fluffy. if the outside is too crisp and absorbing a lot of oil and becomes flat, then add some more rava or rice flour.
If the texture is dense, then some more water needs to be added to the batter. The punugulu batter should not be thick or thin, but have a slightly thick consistency. If the batter is of the right consistency, then you don’t need to add either water or rava/rice flour.
- If the batter is very thick, you can add a few tablespoons of water.
- If it is thin, then add a few tablespoons of rice flour or rava.
5. Once you get the right texture after frying, then add spoonfuls of the batter in medium hot oil.
6. When the sides become pale golden and crisp, carefully turn them over with a slotted spoon.
7. Continue to fry them in medium hot oil turning them a few times for even browning.
8. Fry them till they become crisp and golden.
9. Once done, then remove with a slotted spoon and drain excess oil in the kadai itself.
10. Keep fried punugulu on kitchen towels to soak excess oil.
11. Serve punugulu hot or warm as a tea time snack or an after school snack for kids. You can pair them with coconut chutney or peanut chutney or any chutney of your choice.
Few more snacks recipes
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Punugulu
Ingredients
- 1 cup Idli Batter or dosa batter or uttapam batter
- 1 tablespoon rava (semolina) – optional
- 1 small onion, chopped or ¼ cup chopped onion
- 5 to 6 curry leaves, chopped or 1 teaspoon chopped curry leaves
- ½ inch ginger, finely chopped
- 1 or 2 green chilies, chopped
- 2 to 3 teaspoon chopped coriander leaves
(cilantro leaves)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- salt as required (only to be added it you have not added salt to the batter before)
- oil for deep frying
Instructions
preparation for punugulu recipe
- Take 1 cup idli batter or dosa batter in a bowl. Let the batter come to room temperature, if you have refrigerated it.
- Add 1 tbsp rava (optional), 1 small onion, chopped or 1/4 cup chopped onion, 5 to 6 curry leaves, chopped or 1 tsp chopped curry leaves, 1/2 inch ginger, finely chopped , 1 or 2 green chilies, chopped, 2 to 3 tsp chopped coriander leaves and 1 tsp cumin seeds.
- Add salt if required. Mix very well.
frying punugulu
- Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or pan. Test a small portion of batter in medium hot oil.
- The outside should be crisp and the inside should be soft and fluffy. If the outside is too crisp and absorbing a lot of oil, then add some more rava or rice flour. If the texture is dense, then some more water needs to be added to the batter.
- The punugulu batter should not be thick or thin, but have a slightly thick consistency. If the batter is of the right consistency, then you don’t need to add either water or rava/rice flour.
- If the batter is very thick, you can add a few tablespoons of water.
- If its thin, then add a few tablespoons of rice flour or rava.
- Once you get the right texture after frying, then add spoonfuls of the batter in medium hot oil.
- When the sides become pale golden and crisp, turn over.
- Continue to fry them in medium hot oil turning them a few times for even browning.
- Fry them till they become crisp and golden.
- Remove fried punugulu with a slotted spoon and drain excess oil.
- Keep on kitchen towels to soak excess oil.
- Serve punugulu hot or warm with coconut chutney or peanut chutney.
Notes
- You can change spices & herbs as per your taste.
This Punugulu Recipe post from the archives first published in April 2016 has been updated and republished on January 2023.
I love this idea! I used to make something similar for school lunches for my kids (now in their 20s). I would make balls of the potato masala, dip them in dosa batter, fry them and pack it with some coconut chutney to dip in when eating.
Great breakfast in cold morning temperature is
12°C
In the plate hot punugulu with chatani
And steaming tea
Really Great
Madan Nayak