Punugulu recipe | How to make punugulu with idli dosa batter

Punugulu recipe – A quick evening snack from andhra cuisine made with urad dal and rice batter. Punugulu or punukkulu is a common street food in the coastal regions of Andhra Pradesh. These are crispy deep fried popular snack that are eaten with a spicy chutney. Punugulu are often made in most Andhra homes even with left over idli dosa batter that is sour or over fermented batter while some prefer to make them with fresh batter.

There are a few different variations of making punugulu. Some make with maida and they are called maida punugulu. I have shared the recipe of this one too in the recipe card below. Pesara punukulu, perugu punugulu are some of the other variations to the basic recipe.

I also make punugulu with Vada batter for naivedyam during varalakshmi vratam, Navratri, Lakshmi puja and sankranti. I have shared the recipe here Urad dal bonda

How to make punugulu batter

There are no specific measurements followed to make the batter. But it must be thick and not runny. Punugulu can be made with fresh ground batter or with left over fermented idli dosa batter. Usually many people love them making with sour batter as the fritters taste slightly tangy. Most times I make them with the fresh batter.

They can be made plain just with some cumin and green chilies added. I prefer to add chopped onions, chilies, cumin and coriander leaves.

The right consistency of the batter is the key to making punukulu that are crispy and not oily. Not too thick and not too thin. Thick batter makes your fritters rock hard, while the thin runny batter, makes them oily and soggy too.

If the batter turns runny, many people add few spoons of rice flour or semolina. But my personal experience – they turn hard when additional rice flour is added. With semolina the fritters turn flat and do not absorb the moisture in the batter. So I usually use poha or atukulu. Just powder and add a bit to the batter to bring it to consistency. They turn out super crunchy and light.

for more similar recipes check,
aratikaya bajji
mixed dal vada
mirapakaya bajji
garelu
alasanda vada
onion pakoda

Andhra punugulu recipe with idli dosa batter

Punugulu recipe

Punugulu made with idli dosa batter are a common snack in most homes. These are Andhra's favorite and popular street food also known as punugulu. Serve hot crispy punuglu with chutney or pickle.

Prep Time5 minutes

Cook Time30 minutes

Total Time35 minutes

Servings3

AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )

Ingredients for punugulu

• 2 cups idli dosa batter thick or ¼ cup urad dal and ¾ cup rice
• 2 tbsps poha or attukulu or rice flour or rava
• Salt to taste
• oil to deep fry as needed
• 2 green chilies chopped
• 1 medium onion chopped
• ½ tsp cumin or jeera

Instructions

Preparation for punugulu

• You can skip steps 1 to 4 if using idli dosa batter. Wash urad dal and rice separately multiple times till the water looks clear.
• Soak them for at least 4 hrs seperately.
• Grind dal to a smooth batter with just enough water and salt without making it runny. Transfer this to a utensil.
• Grind rice coarsely and mix it well with the dal batter. Check the consistency now, it has to be thicker than pouring consistency. you can refer the step by step pics.
• If the batter is runny, add powdered poha/ attukulu or rice flour or semolina. Set this side for 10 mins. It becomes thicker after it is soaked. Now adjust the consistency, if required, you may add very little water or can proceed as it is if the consistency is right. Check by making few fritters, if they are hard you need to add little water.
• Add cumin, chopped chilies and onions.

How to make punugulu

• Heat oil to hot, adjust the flame to medium high, it must not be too low and not too high.
• Drop a small portion of batter to the oil, the batter has to rise and not sink. This is the right temperature.
• Shape the batter to round balls with your fingers and drop them in the hot oil.
• Fry till golden color and transfer these to paper napkins.
• serve them warm with your favorite chutney

how to make maida punugulu

• mix 3/4 cup maida, 3 tbsp rice flour, 3 tbsp curd, 1 green chili, 1 small onion, 1/2 tsp. chopped ginger, salt as needed and 1/4 tsp soda. Set this aside for 30 to 45 minutes.
• Heat oil and drop small portions of the batter in hot oil. Fry until golden.

Nutrition

Calories: 455kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 1g | Sodium: 102mg | Potassium: 53mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin C: 7.7% | Calcium: 0.8% | Iron: 19%

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Preparation for punugulu recipe

1. To make these you will need either 2 cups left over thick idli dosa batter or have to make fresh batter. If you are using left over batter, start from step 4. If you want to make fresh batter, wash soak urad and rice for min 4 hrs.
2. Grind urad dal to a smooth batter with enough water and salt. Do not make it runny. Pour this in a utensil.

3. Grind rice coarsely. Mix it with the batter thoroughly

4. Check the consistency now, the batter should be thicker than the pouring consistency. Refer the pic below. This is the right consistency.

OPTIONAL STEP : If you feel the batter is runny, powder 2 tbsps of powdered poha / attukulu and mix well without lumps. Set side for 10 mins. As i mentioned earlier you can also use semolina or rice flour to thicken the batter. But the ones made with poha are really light and crunchy. Now adjust the consistency of batter, if required add very little water. Check by making 1 or 2 punugulu, if they are hard need to add little water.

How to make crispy punugulu recipe

5. Add cumin, onions. If you haven’t used green chilli while blending add it now.
6. Heat oil till hot, adjust the flame to medium high, not low and not high.
7. Shape the batter to round balls with your fingers and drop them in the hot oil.