Crispy crunchy Telangana special flavorful Bebberla garelu is a classic snack made with black-eyed peas. Bebberla garelu, delicious savory Indian deep-fried doughnuts made with black-eyed peas, flavored with green chilies, onions and basic spices. This dish is known also as Alasanda vadalu in Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema region. The texture of Bebberla garelu is very similar to medu wada, but there is a slight difference in taste. And these are prepared for breakfast, as tea-time snack, or on special occasions and festivals.
What are Garelu?
Garelu or Wada is a classic south Indian delicacy generally eaten as a breakfast or a snack. These are savory doughnuts, with a crispy exterior and soft interior. And every typical Gare recipe calls for some kind of lentils, legumes or dried beans, etc. Typically the lentils/legumes used are soaked overnight and then ground with spices, shaped into doughnuts or croquettes and deep-fried. And if you ever visit south Indian temples, you may even get to taste Wada/Gare as Prasadam.
How to get perfectly crisp Bebberla garelu and other tips?
I’ll tell you few secrets to make crispy Garelu every single time.
- The key to make crunchy garelu is pounding them in a mortar and pestle into coarse texture. And this method yields most utterly delicious and crunchy garelu ever.
- I highly recommend you to soak the black-eyed peas overnight, as it reduces the effort in blending or pounding.
- Do not add any water while grinding the soaked black-eyed peas. And if needed just sprinkle a tbsp of water at a time.
- Make sure that the ground paste patties are not too thin or thick and flat before sliding it into the oil.
Ingredients we need to make this Bebberla garelu!!
- Bebberla/Black-eyed peas
- Onion
- Green chilies
- Coriander seeds
- Cilantro
- Mint leaves
- Cumin seeds
- Ginger
- Ulli Koora/spring onion
How to make Bebberla garelu?
Grind the soaked black eyed peas with green chilies, mint leaves, cilantro leaves and stalks, coriander seeds, ginger to a coarse paste. If you have a mortar pestle at home, I’d highly recommend you to try age-old method by pounding these. Else, use a blender and grind everything to a coarse mixture. To this ground batter, add finely chopped onions, salt and give it a good mix. And this is the right time to taste and adjust the seasoning. And when the oil is ready for deep-frying. shape the mixture into small/ medium donuts with a hole in the center and deep-fry until golden.
Serving suggestions
Deep-fried bebberla garelu which are just out of the pan, taste delicious on their own. Yet if you like spicy food, do try these crispy garelu with fried green chilies and chopped onions. And if you are serving for younger kids, they will love these garelu with venna(cultured butter) or yogurt.
Please check out more delicious festive treats and tea-time snacks from my blog.
Palm jaggery whole wheat biscuits
BEBBERLA GARELU
Equipment
- Wok
Ingredients
- 2 cups Black-eyed peas
- ¼ cup Onion finely chopped
- 5 no Green chilies
- 1 tbsp Coriander seeds
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1 inch Ginger finely chopped
- 1 sprig Mint leaves
- 5 sprigs Cilantro leaves and stalks
- Salt to taste
- 3 no Spring onion finely chopped
Instructions
- Wash and soak the black-eyed peas overnight or up to 6 hours.
Making the Garelu batter
- The skin of black-eyed peas start to float on top, drain the water and discard the skin from soaked black-eyed peas.
Age-old method
- In a mortar-pestle add in chopped green chilies, chopped ginger, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, chopped cilantro(leaves+stalks) and again pound until everything is well combined.
- Now add soaked black-eyed peas and pound them by hand until they are coarsely ground.
- Add some salt to taste and again pound until everything is well combined.
Using a blender
- In a blender jar add soaked black-eyed peas, chopped ginger, chopped green chilies, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, salt to taste and without adding any water blend these to a coarse paste.
Mixing remaining ingredients
- Now take the coarsely ground black-eyed peas mixture in to a mixing bowl, add finely chopped onion, finely chopped spring onion, chopped mint leaves and give it a good mix.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning to your taste preference.
Shaping and frying garelu
- Heat a wok/kadai, add oil enough for deep-frying.
- Keep a small bowl filled with water on the side.
- Now dip your fingers in the bowl of water, grease your palm with water and take a handful of batter at a time.
- Roll the batter and shape them into donut or wada and make a hole in the center.
- Now gently slide the shaped gare into hot oil, reduce the heat to medium flame and fry until golden brown.
- You can fry 3-4 shaped garelu at a time for even cooking.
- Repeat the process for remaining garelu batter.
It's serving time!!
- If serving for kids, these taste better when served with freshly churned cultured butter or yogurt.
- Serve hot Bebberla garelu with chopped raw onions, salted and fried green chilies.
