For most for us Indians, the perfect and comforting food during cold weathers or rainy season is a very popular and comforting Indian snack, Pakoda or Pakodi. Best enjoyed over a hot cup of tea, the cripsy and spicy Pakodi makes tea time something special, almost like a bonding time between family and friends.
Its not just cold weather or rains which makes me crave for pakodas, I can have them all year around as they are not only tasty but can be prepared in a jiffy and with ingredients which are usually available in the pantry…:)
Prepared from a batter of besan (bengal gram flour), rice flour, onions, curry leaves and green chillis, Pakodas are deep fried till they attain a beautiful golden brown color. Both soft pakodas and hard pakodis (known as gatti pakodi in telugu) can be prepared from the same batter and its the texture of the batter which makes them soft or hard.
Go to any busy street corner in a town or city and one is sure to find streets (be it a small town or city) lined by hawkers, cooking the food right before your eyes and selling hot pakodis. Here in Andhra, a popular snack which sells very well is the the crispy variety of pakodi known as gatti ulli pakodi, where the batter is prepared by using very little water. The less water used to mix the flours, the harder the batter is, to prepare crisp gatti pakodi which can be stored in air tight containers for a few days.