Ribbon pakoda recipe – I am sharing one more South Indian snack for the upcoming festive season. Ribbon pakoda also known as ribbon murukku is fried snack made with rice flour, besan, fried gram and spices like chili powder and cumin. Similar to other murukku recipes even ribbon pakoda is made with different ratios of besan, rice flour and fried gram flour. Each household has their own recipe to make these.

I am sharing the way I make it at home. Ribbon pakoda can also be made without fried gram, just using besan and rice flour.
Just like the omapodi or plain sev, these can also be made using only besan and skip rice flour and fried gram. Each variation gives a different taste, texture and level of crunch to the ribbon pakoda.
If making in small quantity just to finish it on the same day, then they can be made with besan alone since they may begin to loose the crunch after 2 to 3 days.
The ribbon pakoda recipe I am sharing here yields pakoda that can be kept for about 10 to 15 days without losing the crunch if stored in an airtight containers.
An addition of fried gram makes them light and besan adds a aroma and taste.
Please note this recipe is not for novice cooks similar to the butter murukku recipe this requires pressing the mould directly over the hot oil.
More Snacks recipes
Nippattu
Chakli recipe
Thattai
Sweet murukku
Preparation for ribbon pakoda
1. Add ¼ cup fried gram to a grinder jar. These are also known as roasted gram and are commonly used to make chutney.

2. Grind them and make a very fine powder. We need only ¼ cup powder/ flour for this recipe. Measure and add it to a large mixing bowl.

3. To the same bowl, add 1 cup rice flour and ¼ cup besan (gram flour). All of these have to fine. If they are coarse then sieve them otherwise they may get stuck in the murukku maker and break the ribbon pakoda.
Crush ½ teaspoon cumin in a mortar pestle or on a chopping board with rolling pin. Add to the bowl along with 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons sesame seeds, ¼ to ¾ teaspoon red chilli powder and ½ teaspoon salt. Very coarse particles in the dough may break the pakoda so crushing or powdering cumin and sieving the flours is very important.

4. Mix all the ingredients in the mixing bowl. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a kadai until very hot (not smoking). Add it here to the flour. Be careful as the oil is hot, use and spoon and incorporate the oil with the flour. Then use your fingers to mix and rub the flour in between your palms until all of the oil is incorporated well with the flour.

Making dough for ribbon pakoda
5. You can use plain water or ginger chili water to knead the dough. To make the ginger chilli water, add half inch piece of ginger and 2 green chilies to a blender.
Pour little water and make a paste. Pour 3 tablespoons water more water. Filter this and use to make the dough. It makes the ribbon pakoda very flavorful like the one sold in the shops. Crushed onion can also be used for flavoring along with ginger chilli water.

6. Pour more plain water to mix and form the dough.

7. Dough must be soft and non sticky. It should not be dry or crumbly. If the dough is sticky then sprinkle some flour and mix. If it is too dry, sprinkle water and mix again. Taste test the dough and add more salt or red chilli powder if needed.

How to make ribbon pakoda
8. Grease the mould and attach a ribbon pakoda plate. Fill with the prepared dough. Cover the rest of the dough to prevent drying.

9. Pour oil to a heavy bottom kadai or deep pan. Heat on a medium flame until hot enough. Check by adding a small flat piece of dough to the oil, the dough has to rise immediately without turning brown. This is the right temperature. If it becomes brown, it means the oil is very hot. Reduce the heat and let the temperature of oil come down a bit. If the dough sinks it means the oil is not hot enough.

10. Press the mould directly to the hot oil, moving the hand in circular motions. Be careful and keep your hand and mould at a good distance from the hot oil and steam.
Do not press the dough in one place, we need to keep moving the hand in circular motion. Fry on a medium high flame until golden. If they are not fried well, ribbon pakoda will turn soft and chewy very soon.

Remove them to a colander and cool them completely. I usually break the ribbon pakoda to pieces and then store them in an airtight jar. They keep good for 2 weeks. If you are making them in larger quantity then store them in separate containers so they stay fresh for longer.

Related Recipes

South Indian ribbon pakoda

Ribbon pakoda recipe | Ribbon murukku recipe | Aaku pakodi
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
Ingredients to make ribbon pakoda
- ¼ cup gram flour (fine besan, senagapindi)
- ¼ cup fried gram (roasted gram, putani, putnalu)
- 1 cup rice flour (fine flour)
- ¼ to ¾ teaspoon red chili powder (adjust to taste)
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds ( jeera or ajwain or vaamu/omam)
- ⅛ teaspoon asafoetida (hing)(optional)
- 1 to 1½ tablespoons white sesame seeds
- 2 teaspoons hot oil
- ½ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste
- oil as needed for deep frying
optional
- 2 green chilies
- ½ inch ginger (adding more leaves a bitter taste)
Instructions
Make dough for ribbon pakoda
- Powder ¼ cup fried gram in a mixer grinder jar. Measure and use only ¼ cup powder for the recipe.
- Place a sieve over a large bowl. Measure the flours including the powdered fried gram powder. Add all of them to the sieve. Sieve them together.
- Crush cumin seeds in a mortar pestle. Or using a rolling pin crush them on the chopping board. Add it to the flour, along with red chilli powder, sesame seeds and salt. Mix them.
- Then heat up 2 tsps oil in a kadai and pour to the flour. Using a spoon mix well. Then use your fingers and incorporate the oil well. Rub the flour well in between your palms to incorporate the oil
- This step is optional. Make a fine paste of ginger and chili if using. Add 3 to 4 tbsp water to this and filter it to a bowl. Pour this to the flour.
- Pour more water as needed and make a dough that is non sticky but smooth. If the dough is dry then sprinkle more water. If the dough turns sticky, then sprinkle little rice flour. Taste test the dough and add more salt and chilli if you prefer.
How to make ribbon pakoda
- Pour oil to a deep fry pan or kadai. Heat it on a medium flame.
- Meanwhile grease the mould and fit the ribbon pakoda plate to the mould.
- Fill the mould with the prepared dough. Cover the rest of the dough to avoid drying.
- Check if the oil is hot enough by dropping a small portion of the dough in hot oil. The dough has to rise steadily without browning and must not sink.
- Press the dough in the hot oil, moving the hand in circular pattern to make a disc of ribbon pakoda.
- Fry until golden and crisp on a medium high heat. Keep stirring and fry. Towards the end if you want you may fry them on a low heat for even crispness. Once crisp remove to a steel colander.
- Make more ribbon pakoda and fry in batches until all of the dough finishes. Just ensure the oil is just hot enough and not too hot.
- Cool ribbon pakoda completely. Break them as desired to pieces and store in a airtight jar.
Notes
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes

Vanitha Rathod says
Can we use ghee instead of butter? As butter isnt always available at home
swasthi says
I haven’t tried with ghee
E.v.kamalanathan says
Good sir madam am like that
Uma says
Tried the recipe today and it is so tasty, crunchy and in no time made it.
Thank you so much for sharing this 👏👏👏
swasthi says
Hi Uma
You are welcome! Glad your ribbon pakoda turned good. Thank you!
Shaalini says
Hi.. I tried it today it turned out good 👍
swasthi says
Thank you Shalini!
Sucharita Yerramilly says
Tried the recipe. Very tasty. But was having problem in pressing the dough through the mould after a while. What could be the reason?
swasthi says
Hi Sucharita,
Let me know what kind of problem you had. Did you feel it was hard to press the dough? If so then probably the dough needs little more moisture. You can just moisten your finger and mix it once more. Hope this helps
Deep says
I make ribbon pakoda just by adding hing+redchilli powder .I tried out your recipe green chilli+ginger addded flavor to the ribbon….it was yummy!! Totally loved it .
swasthi says
Hi Deep,
Glad you liked the ribbon pakoda. Thank you for the comment.
🙂
Pranitha says
Swasthi
I made these ribbon pakoda. They tasted very good and crunchy. How do I make them light an dnot very crunchy. I have a 15 months old so want to try it for him again
swasthi says
Hi Pranitha,
Thanks for trying. To make them light you can add 1 to 1 & 1/2 tbsp of butter.
Yogita says
Made this just now…yummy and just perfect!
swasthi says
Thanks Yogita
puja says
Awesome
swasthi says
Thanks puja
Prathyusha says
Very tasty recipes.Thanks for sharing .Seasonal greetings n best wishes.Stay blessed forever.
swasthi says
Hi Prathyusha
Wish you too a very happy new year and Pongal.
Thanks a lot for the wishes
Meena says
I made these, came out great crunchy loved them
swasthi says
Thanks Meena