Palakayalu | Deep-fried Rice Flour Balls from Andhra Pradesh
Palakayalu are made for Krishna Janmashtami or Gokulashtami in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. While Krishnashtami is a special occasion, I also make these deep-fried rice flour balls as a tea-time snack at other times. Palakayalu can also be seen as Andhra’s answer to Tamil Nadu’s Uppu Seedai.
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Rice Flour (~ 300 gms)
- 2 Cups Water (~ 500 ml)
- 2 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 2 tbsp Sesame Seeds (~ 20 gms)
- 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder (~ 10 gms)
- 1/4 tsp Asafoetida
- Salt to Taste
For Deep Frying
- 2 Cups Oil
Instructions
Making the Dough
- Sieve the rice flour and set aside.
- Over medium heat, in a large vessel, bring the water to a boil.
- Turn the heat to low.
- Add sesame seeds, 2 tbsp sesame oil, red chilli powder, asafoetida and just enough salt to make the water taste salty (about 3/4 tsp) and mix well.
- Turn off the heat.
- Add the rice flour immediately and mix well. Do not let the water cool.
- Transfer the dough into a plate and wait for a couple of minutes for it to cool.
- Grease your palm with a few drops of oil and quickly knead the dough till its smooth. If you need to add more water, use hot water and add just 1 teaspoon at a time.
Shaping the Palakayalu
- Grease your palms well with oil.
- Shape the dough into 1/2" balls. To ensure the dough does not dry out, cover the Palakayalu with a thin wet cotton cloth. If the dough or the shaped balls dry out, then will crack when you are frying them.
Frying the Palakayalu
- In a wok or kadai, over medium heat, heat about 2 cups of oil. To test if the oil is hot, add a pinch of the dough. It should immediately rise to the surface and sizzle there.
- Turn the heat to low-medium.
- Add some Palakayalu to the oil and fry till they are golden brown. Do not increase the heat. If you do, the palakayalu will be brown on the surface but raw inside. It will take each batch about 10 to 12 minutes to fry.
- Using a slotted ladle, keep moving the balls as they fry to ensure they fry evenly.
- Remove the fried balls from the oil and drain any excess oil. If needed, place the Palakayalu on kitchen tissue to drain the excess oil.
- Let the Palakayalu cool and immediately transfer to an air-tight container.
Nutrition
Calories: 350 kcalCarbohydrates: 26 gProtein: 2 gFat: 26 gSaturated Fat: 2 gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8 gMonounsaturated Fat: 16 gTrans Fat: 1 gSodium: 64 mgPotassium: 36 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 1 gVitamin A: 60 IUVitamin C: 1 mgCalcium: 21 mgIron: 1 mg