Here’s an example of a food that isn’t exactly what we call it. These little balls of shallow fried lentils, known more often as lentil pakoras around the world’s southeast Asian parts, were called affectionately in my house, crunchie munchies. How my parents came up with that name, I’ll never know, but it stuck and here we are.
Years ago after eating Indian breakfast at our house one holiday season, Dawn found herself in India where she actually ordered something called Indian breakfast. We all had a good laugh about how our misnomer was actually accurate in some respect, but I’m confident that this wouldn’t’ so much be the case with crunchie munchies.
What is a crunchie munchie then? Traditional pakoras are mixed vegetables, coated and fried, but this version is slightly different, no doubt a regional adaptation, because rather than being chock full of veggies, the base here is actually lentils. Cooked, yellow or pink lentils, onions and spices are balled up into fritters and crisped up until golden brown. The perfect appetizer for any gathering, these have always been a mom-specialty and a fan favorite for any guest that happens to pop in. An entertaining staple in our house from years, the sight and smell of them evokes a happy nostalgia amongst my parents oldest friends, and now, as she starts to make them for my own friends, they legion of fans of these little bites extends into a new generation.
The good news is that the raw batter freezes extremely well, so it’s one of those prep and forget snacks.
They are quite bite size, so be careful or before you realize, you’ll have eaten the whole batch yourself!
She served them hot off the fryer and, in the typical Buddha-family fusion cuisine manner, with a healthy dip of…Pace chunky picante sauce.
My mom, the original fusionist.
Lentil Pakoras
A southeast Asian favorite, these lentil pakoras are a twist on the traditional with finely ground lentils, spices, ginger, all fried to a crisp
Ingredients
- 1 cup yellow lentils (split peas)
- 1 TB fresh ginger, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1/2 fresh green chili pepper, chopped
- 1/3 cup chick pea flour
- 3/4 tsp salt, or to taste
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 yellow onion, sliced thinly
- Vegetable oil, for frying
Directions
- Step 1 Soak the lentils overnight, or at least 6 hours until soft. After that time, puree in a blender. Transfer the pureed lentils to a bowl.
- Step 2 Add in the rest of the chopped ingredients and mix well.
- Step 3 Heat about 2″ oil over high heat, until a small bit of the batter, when dropped in it, starts to sizzle and brown. At that point, drop the batter into the oil by the Tablespoon, and fry until golden brown on both sides, about five minutes per batch.
- Step 4 Drain pakoras on a paper towel and repeat until all the batter has gone. Serve with your favorite salsa.
can these be baked, and if so what temp and for how long?
I asked my mom, the pro and she doesn’t think so because the lentil are raw and won’t cook all the way through unless fried. I can’t say I’ve tested them, but this bloggers seems to have done it successfully. Let me know if you try it! Sorry for the delayed response! http://table-karma.com/spicy-baked-red-lentil-pakora-fritters-oil-free-gluten-free-grain-free-vegan/