Red lentils – 2 cups, soaked 4 hours at least, best if soaked overnight
Red Onions – 1 large or 2 med, sliced thin
Ginger – 2 tbsp, diced
Bird’s eye chili – 5-6, thinly diced
Salt – 1½ Tsp
Cilantro – ¼ cup chopped
Oil – enough to deep fry, make sure it’s neutral oil (canola/vegetable)
Making the batter
Strain the lentils from the soaking water, about half an hour before making the batter — this helps getting rid of the excess moisture. Remember wet batter = soggy fritters + hot oil explosion.
Set aside about 1/8 cup lentils and coarse-grind the rest with the ginger.
Note: the water stuck to the lentils should be enough but if it’s too dry in the blender, you can add 1 tbsp water at a time. Try not to make it a wet batter, It should be a dry dough like consistency.
In a large bowl, separate the sliced onions and combine it with the diced chilis, cilantro and salt.
Add the red lentil paste and the whole lentils that was set aside earlier. Combine the lentil mix really well with the onion and herbs mix.
Note: do not make the batter ahead of time and do not let the batter sit around. You must start frying immediately after you make the batter.
In a wide Dutch oven over medium heat, add enough oil to submerge and deep fry the fritters.
Note: patience is key if you want the perfect crumbly and crispy piyaju, and in general when you are deep frying anything.
Wait until the oil is hot to add the fritters. How to tell if the oil is ready — when you stick a chopstick or wooden skewer, if the oil starts to form bubbles around it, then it’s ready.
Fry
With all 5 fingers pick up the batter. The idea is to only pick up as much onion and lentil mix as your five fingers allow. Gently let go and drop what you are holding in the hot oil right away. Do not try to flatten or shape what you pick up. Also try not to overcrowd the Dutch oven, its best to fry them in batches of 10-12 (depending on how wide or compact your frying pan is).
The piyaju will sink to the bottom and may even stick to the bottom when you first drop them in the hot oil. Do not fret and do not touch it. Once the oil starts to seep in, they will unstick from the bottom on their own and start floating to the top.
Once the piyajus are floating and the bottom has changed to a light yellow color, flip it on the other side. Continue flipping every now and then until they have formed a pale yellow-orange color.
Remove them from the hot oil and allow them to cool down in a tray lined with paper towel. Repeat step 1 to 4 for the rest of the batter.
Once you have fried all the piyajus into a somewhat pale yellow-orange color, set them aside in the tray and allow them to cool down for 30 minutes to an hour, if you have the time. If you do not have the time, then it’s okay but try to space them apart as you set them aside while frying. Piling them will not allow the excess moisture to evaporate and we don’t want a soggy piyaju.
