Snake Gourd Pakoda

Snake Gourd Pakoda in Marathi

Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 3 to 4

Ingredients:
1/4 Kg Padwal (snake gourd)
3/4 cup besan (chickpea flour)
3 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp asafoetida (Hing)
1.5 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp carom seeds
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method:
1) Mix besan, turmeric powder, hing and red chili powder into a mixing bowl. Add water and make medium consistency batter. Add carom seeds, cilantro, and salt. Check the taste and add red chili powder or salt if required.
2) Wash padwal and carve the core with the back side of a spoon. Slice the padwal and make thin rings.
3) Steam cook these rings till half done. (I microwaved padwal rings (covered) on high powder for 1.5 minutes. Sprinkled some water before microwaving.)
4) Heat the oil. Once oil is hot then turn the flame to medium. Dip the half cooked padwal rings into the batter and drop them in heated oil. Deep fry till pakodas turn golden.

Tips:
1) Padwal should be fresh and tender. Stale padwal doesn't get cooked well. Also, make thin slices.
2) If fried without precooking, usually padwal slices remain little bit crisp which ruins the taste and texture of pakoda. Hence steaming padwal slices is important.