Punuguluపునుగులు

Name: Punugulu
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Telugu (Andhra & Telangana)
Ingredients: 2 cups Idli/dosa batter, thick (day-old is ideal); 1 small Onion, finely chopped; 2-3 Green chilies, finely chopped; 1 tsp Ginger, grated; 1 sprig Curry leaves, finely chopped; ½ tsp Cumin seeds; 2 tbsp Coriander leaves, chopped; to taste Salt; for deep frying Oil

⏱ Prep 10m🍳 Cook 20m🍽 Serves 4🌿 Vegan

Video: HomeCookingShow (YouTube)

Punugulu are Andhra's answer to an impromptu street snack — deep-fried rounds of leftover idli or dosa batter, crisp on the outside, pillowy within, begging to be dipped. In Vijayawada and across coastal Andhra they appear at tea stalls by the hundreds, each slightly irregular, each perfectly golden. The batter needs barely any embellishment: a fistful of onion, ginger, and green chili stirred in just before frying is all it takes.

📍 Make it in Plano

This recipe is the same everywhere — but where you buy the ingredients and eat the dish is local to you.

Finding Desi spots near Plano…

Ingredients

▪Idli/dosa batter, thick (day-old is ideal)2 cups
▪Onion, finely chopped1 small
▪Green chilies, finely chopped2-3
▪Ginger, grated1 tsp
▪Curry leaves, finely chopped1 sprig
▪Cumin seeds½ tsp
▪Coriander leaves, chopped2 tbsp
▪Saltto taste
▪Oilfor deep frying

🌍 Cooking abroad? Substitutions

Batter: Day-old batter that has over-fermented (too sour for dosai) is ideal — the tang deepens with frying. If you don't have fermented batter, mix 1 cup rice flour + ½ cup urad dal flour + ½ tsp baking soda + salt + water to a thick dropping consistency and rest 30 minutes.
Deep-frying oil: Any neutral high-smoke-point oil works — sunflower, canola, or vegetable. Refined coconut oil is traditional in coastal Andhra and gives a subtly different fragrance worth trying if available.

Method

1Mix thick batter with onion, green chilies, ginger, curry leaves, cumin seeds, coriander, and salt. The batter should be stiff enough to hold a soft ball when dropped with a wet spoon — if too loose, rest it uncovered in the fridge for 15 minutes.
2Heat oil in a kadai to 170-175 °C (a small drop of batter should rise slowly and begin turning golden within 10 seconds).
3Using a spoon or your wet hand, drop rough ball-shapes slightly smaller than a golf ball into the hot oil. Do not crowd the pan — work in batches of 8-10.
4Fry 3-4 minutes, turning once, until the punugulu are evenly golden-brown all around. They will puff slightly and feel light when ready.
5Drain on paper towels. Serve hot with groundnut pachadi (peanut chutney) and coconut chutney.

A Desi.Net original recipe · part of our Indian Cuisine library. Confirm details and adjust to taste.