Wash and rinse the lentils in enough water and then adding 1 cup of water pressure cook it for 3 whistles. Simmer for 5 minutes and then switch off. Once the pressure subsides let the cooked lentils cool down.

Take the cooked lentils in a mixer jar and puree it to very fine paste. Pour this to a wide bowl. In the same mixer add grated coconut, cumin, green chilly and curry leaves. Whir them together to a semi coarse paste.

Add this coconut paste and rice flour to the same bowl that is having lentil puree. Include salt and combine evrything well to stiff dough.

The dough shoudn't be loose. Based on the quality of blackgram lentils you may have to add some more rice flour. But ensure it is stiff enough to press. Take a lump of dough and fill the ribbon pakoda press.

Next heat a wok adding enough cooking oil, when oil gets heated up press ribbon pakoda in to oil. You can press making concentric circle in the oil or press randomly. The oil sizzles for few minutes, turn the pakoda to cook othe rside. When sizzling sound stops completely the pakoda would have turned little brown. Remove and drain them over kitchen tissue.

Crispy and crunchy ribbon pakoda is ready to munch.

Pressure cooking blackgram lentils with enough water is very important. I have used 1 cup of water to cook them that is when I could get soft and completely cooked lentils.

When you grind the cooked lentils the batter should be of pouring consistency. Adjust water accordingly.

If you use less water to cook and grind lentils, the pakoda drinks lot of oil.

Add rice powder little by little to avoid disaster. Because based on the quality of black gram lentils, it requires little less or more rice powder.

I had to use extra 1/4 cup of rice powder for the stiff dough.

You can substitute green chilly by red chilly powder too.

In an air tight container ribbon pakoda lasts more than a fortnight.

To check oil temperature, drop a pinch of dough in to oil. If it raises to the top then oil is rightly heated up. If the dough settles down or slowly raises then you need to heat oil for some more time.

Always deep fry the pakoda in medium flame for better results.