Traditional, crispy South Indian Ribbon Pakoda recipe (Ola Pakoda / Ribbon Murukku) made with rice flour and besan! Learn how to make foolproof, crispy festival snack at home with step-by-step photos and beginner-friendly tips.
Ribbon pakoda is one of the most famous savouries in Tamil Nadu. People call it by different names like Ola pakoda, Oatu pakoda, Ribbon tape, Ribbon flowers, Naada aachu, Seeval etc. Most Tamil people make this during Diwali without fail.
Every year my MIL prepares this easy snack recipe along with thenkuzhal and spicy maida biscuit. But I tried this ribbon pakoda recipe on my own for the first time asking the recipe from my MIL. I also referred Banumathi mam’s (Food Fun Friends group in Facebook) recipe, made few changes and came up with this crunchy, white ribbon tape aka ribbon pakoda.
This recipe needs very little butter but it gives crunchy pakoda. As Sendhil is fond of pepper flavor, I used pepper powder instead of red chilli powder. So mine came out white in color. If you want red colored ones like you get in shops, just replace pepper powder with Kashmiri red chilli powder. I was very happy and completely satisfied in my first attempt itself. We munched it with tea as an evening snack. Tasted great!
Do try this yummy, easy snack for Diwali. Not just for Diwali, you can make this as an evening snack for your kids when they are back from school. I am sure it will come out very well and everybody will love it. Do refer the notes section below for beginner tips.
Quick Notes for US & Abroad Kitchens
- Flour Choices: Store-bought fine idiyappam flour (such as Anil or Nirapara) or Bob’s Red Mill fine white rice flour works wonderfully. Freshly sifted Indian grocery besan (gram flour) ensures lump-free dough.
- Butter Consistency: Use unsalted butter softened naturally at room temperature. Avoid melting butter to liquid hot, as soft semi-solid butter provides the best flaky crunch without absorbing excess oil.
- Stovetop Heat Management: Electric coil and glass-top stoves retain heat strongly. Keep the heat on medium and allow the oil temperature to stabilize before pressing each batch so pakoda cooks evenly without turning dark brown prematurely.
- Pressing Technique: If pressing directly over hot oil feels uncomfortable due to steam, press the ribbons onto the back of a lightly greased flat ladle and gently slide them into the hot oil.
Ribbon pakoda recipe
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 1 cup Rice flour (approx. 150 g / idiyappam flour)
- ½ cup Besan flour / Kadalai maavu (approx. 60 g)
- 1 tbsp Melted butter or soft butter (at room temperature)
- ½ tsp Asafetida / Hing
- 2 tsp Pepper powder or red chilli powder
- 1 tsp Sesame seeds
- Salt as needed
- Water as needed
- Cooking oil to deep fry
Instructions
- In a wide bowl, take the rice flour, besan, hing, pepper powder, salt and butter at room temperature. Mix well. Butter should be mixed well with the flour. You can use Kashmiri red chilli powder instead of pepper powder but the color of ribbon pakoda comes out golden brown.
- Add water little by little and make a smooth, non-sticky dough. Make sure the dough is not too tight/dry or too wet. Take the ribbon pakoda mould (achu) and place a ball of dough inside the press.
- Heat oil to deep fry. When the oil becomes hot, drop a pinch of dough; if it rises immediately, temperature is just right. Simmer the flame and press the mould over hot oil in a circular manner. Let it cook on one side till bubbles cease. Flip it and cook till the sizzling sound stops. Remove and drain on a tissue. Adjust the flame whenever needed.
- After it is cooled down completely, break into pieces and store in an airtight container. This snack takes one day to infuse all the flavors and tastes, and smells best the next day!
Notes
- You can replace pepper powder with a tsp of red chilli powder and hing with smoothly ground 1.5 tsp of garlic paste.
- While making dough, do not add more water and make too sticky dough. Ribbon pakoda will break into pieces in oil and you will get serrated edges.
- If you make very tight dough, it will be very difficult to press. So make it perfect.
- Do not reduce the quantity of rice flour. You will not get crispy pakoda.
- You can replace butter with ghee or hot oil. But butter gives the best result.
- If you do not deep fry all the batches properly, it will make the entire snack soggy the next day. So deep fry them by adjusting the flame correctly.
- It tastes best the next day with all its flavor and crispness.
Sharing is caring
Enjoy munching this yummy snack with coffee or tea!
Love these for crunching… yum…
Crispy snack
yummy pakoda…
wow another very nice recipe from Chitra :) very innovative u are dear
that looks super crisp…
wow pepper ribbon pakoda looks crunchy
My all time favourite, will try next time with pepper.
My mom also prepares this. Looks crunchy. Will try adding pepper next Time
My mom prepares this very often. Your 's look very crunchy
Hello Chitra, recently got these from grand sweets and I was so tempted to make them. But never knew how to make…Found your recipe and looks quite easy, will definitely give it a try :) Have seen a lot of your recipe via Facebook, this is the first time I am here and absolutely love your page…
Thank u so much malar for taking time to leave ur sweet words. Iam so glad to see this.Try this recipe n let me know your feedback too :)