Ram ladoo is the delicious street food from Delhi and is a fritter made with dals, topped with chutney and daikon radish slaw. This is a vegan snack and is a crowd pleaser!
The star of this dish is not the dal or just the fritter. Daikon radish aka mooli in Hindi is the actual star! This delicious winter vegetable adds to the flavors of this street food and is a winter special too! Radish is added in three ways. Spicy, salty, sour radish slaw, radish greens are added to the chutney, and paste of radish greens is added to the batter too! Every bite will give the best flavor of this amazing veggie! Radish and radish greens are a must to make ram ladoo and without it, it would just be a dal fritter!
Yellow split moong dal is the major dal used here in addition to chana dal and urad dal. Urad dal is added in some versions and not in others. A very important step while grinding the batter is that water should not be added. It takes a little while to slowly grind but it is possible to make a smooth batter without adding water. Once the batter is ready, it is important to mix with your hand in one directional motion for some time, say about 3-4 minutes, to aerate the batter. Well aerated dough gives the perfect texture and fluffiness to the ram ladoo. Do not skip this step as it makes a lot of difference. In this recipe baking soda is not added while some recipes use it to aerate the dough. To check the aeration, add a little batter to the dough and it should float completely. If it sinks, continue whisking with your hand for a few more minutes. Check again for floating consistency and then proceed with the recipe.
The chutney is very similar to the green chutney but a good amount of radish leaves are also added. With lots of radish leaves in the chutney as well as in the batter, I feel that this is a great way to use the edible radish leaves. In our homes, we use the radish greens with dal to make a stew like curry, Radish Greens Kootu or we add it to the sambhar as it adds extra flavor and aroma. This chutney is a great way to use and I am going to try a pesto when I harvest a few radishes from my garden.
For uniform size of the fritters, use a cookie scoop. Though this can be done by hand, trust me, while using the cookie scoop, it is SO easy! The shape is perfect too! This is a win-win situation.
This makes about 50 fritters using a tablespoon size of batter. For assembling Ram ladoo, use about 6-7 per serving and the measurements given here would give a generous portioned seven servings. Adjust the portion quantity as desired, but I am warning you, these are addictive and you'll need more. Doubling the recipe is a great option!
The quantity of the chutney and slaw topping can be adjusted according to taste. The heat level too can be suited to preference. Check the salt and green chili as per your taste profile. Add a little of chutney and slow or pour them over! Either way it is delicious but do not skip those! They are the tastemakers and the star ingredients of the recipe. The ingredient list may be long but the recipe is an easy one.
Here are a few Indian street food recipes that could help you enjoy the same at your home!
Pakodas made of dal are usually added to sambhar or kadhi in Indian cuisine. Split moong dal pakoda kadhi is a popular one. If you are a pakoda kadhi lover try this Pumpkin Pakoda Kadhi which is my spin on the pakoda kadhi. This kadhi has pakodas made of split moong dal and pumpkins in pumpkin kadhi. Radish leaves are added in this Ram ladoo batter.
This is the final recipe for the three day Blogging Marathon. I shared Alepak/ Belgavi Bhel and Churmuri recipes based on the theme 'Street Foods'. We love these foods and guarantee that you'll start to love these too!
Today is the last Saturday of the month and is the time for our #PotluckParty! This is a fun group, and every last Saturday of the month, we share our favorite recipes, well, for a Potluck Party! Sue of Palatable Pastime hosts this event and if you are interested to join in this group, check here.
Ingredients
Makes about 50 fritters
Makes 7-8 servings
For the moong dal fritters
Yellow split moong dal - 1 cup
Urad dal - 1/4cup
Chana dal - 1/4 cup
Salt - 1 and 3/4 tsp
Green chili - 2 to 4, finely chopped
Ginger - 1 tbsp, finely chopped
Oil - 4 cups (for frying)
For radish Leaves Paste
Radish leaves - 1 cup
Water - 1 or 2 tbsp
For Ram Ladoo Chutney
Radish leaves - 1/2 cup
Cilantro - 1/2 cup
Mint leaves - 1/4 cup
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Lemon juice - 3/4 tbsp
Ginger - 1/2-in piece
Green chili - 2 to 4
Water -1/3 cup
For Radish salad
Daikon/radish - 1.5 cups, shredded
Cilantro - 1/4 cup, finely chopped
Radish leaves - 2 tbsp, finely chopped
Salt - 1/3 tsp
Lemon juice - 1.5 tsp
Green chili - 1 or 2, finely chopped
Method
Soak the dals in water for 2 hours.
Grind the radish leaves to a paste with a tablespoon of water and set aside.
Grind the ingredients under 'Chutney' to a smooth paste. Add about 1/3 cup water slowly while grinding, mix, and set aside.
To make the radish salad/slaw: Add the ingredients to a bowl, mix and set aside.
Drain the dals completely. Grind to a smooth paste in two batches. Transfer to a big bowl. Whisk for 3-4 minutes to aerate the batter. Add salt and continue the process for a couple more minutes. Check the fluffiness by dropping the dough in water and if it floats proceed to the frying part.
Once completely aerated, add the chopped ginger, green hiles, and ground radish leaves paste. Mix well.
Heat oil on a medium flame. Add about a table spoons of batter with hand or a cookie scoop onto oil. Deep fry for about 2 minutes on both sides.
Drain and set aside. Repeat with the remaining batter.
To assemble: Add about 7-10 fritters on a plate, top with one to two tablespoon chuney, and garnish with radish/daikon saw!
Serve immediately
Welcome to Potluck Party #2 (February 2022)
- Easiest Lasagna Recipe for a Crowd from Karen's Kitchen Stories
- Mushroom Lo Mein from A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Ram Ladoo from Magical Ingredients
- Surti Undhiyu from Sneha’s Recipe
- Tapita Fría Mar y Huerta from Patyco Candy Bar
- Vegetable Quesadillas from Palatable Pastime
A Day in the Life on the Farm says
These fritters sound delicious.
A Day in the Life on the Farm says
These fritters sound delicious.
Karen says
This is so pretty! I'm going to have to learn more about dal for sure.
Karen says
This is so pretty! I'm going to have to learn more about dal for sure.
Radha says
Yes! They were!
Radha says
Thank you Karen! Dals are fabulous source of proteins for us and you can find lots of dal recipes in this blog. Thanks for visiting.
Srivalli says
Ram Ladoo is such a dear dish and I enjoyed making and eating it..love your fresh mooli...
Rafeeda AR says
Those fritters itself looks so amazing, I don't think I will need any of those toppings... hehe...