Piyaju or Lentil fritters are famous Bangladeshi snack. There are other versions of it in India and many parts of Asia. This is a crispy bite sized snack and is loved by the whole nation.

I can munch on them every day. The snack is crispy on the outside but on bite you’ll know that the inside is just the opposite. Piyajus are chat time favourite munchies and is paired with cup of hot milk tea.

Step 1: Ingredients List

Red Lentil - 1 cup

Onion - 2 medium

Green Chilies - 5-6

Salt - 1 tea sp

Turmeric Powder - ½ tea sp

Red Chili Powder - 1 tea sp

Gram Flour - 1 tea sp

Oil - 1-2 TBSP

Step 2: Preparation

Soak lentil for 3 hours in water. You may soak them overnight as well. I sometimes forget to soak it or out of nowhere I get cravings for eating them. In those occasions I soak lentil in hot water for 30 minutes and that does the job.

After lentils are soaked in water for enough time, drain it. Next, in a grinder, make paste out of lentil. Try not to use any water for this process. It can be time consuming but following this process will give you thick paste which is ideal for good fritters.

Step 3: Mixture

Once grinding is done, take paste in a bowl for mixing. First add salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder, gram flour and mix. I prefer mixing it with hand to ensure a great mixture. Then put sliced onions and green chilies and mix well. Finally pour a table spoon of oil and mix one final time.

Step 4: Frying

Heat oil in a pan. Make sure there is enough oil to deep fry them. Keep the temperature to medium. Take a small portion of mixture in hand and press with your thumb to make small fritter shapes.

Gently put each one in hot oil. During frying turn them few times so that all sides fry evenly and the inside cooks as well.

Fry them until golden brown. Strain lentil fritters from oil and put in a kitchen towel lined plate.

Step 5: Enjoy

This snack can be enjoyed with variety of dips but a spicy chutney type dip probably is the best. Try it with some mint and coriander chutney. If I do not have any sauce or dip at home, I just pour some ketchup on a small bowl and add some chilli sauce to it.

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