These air fryer mung bean pakode are crispy on the outside, soft inside and packed with flavour. If you love the taste of freshly fried pakoras but want something a bit lighter, this version is a great option. They are made with soaked, sprouted and ground mung beans or whole moong and a few spices and air fried till golden.
Traditionally, pakode are deep fried, but using the air fryer cuts down on oil without cutting back on taste. These are perfect for tea time or even as a light evening snack. Add some green chutney or ketchup on the side, and you are all set.
If you enjoy air fryer snacks, you might also like onion pakoda, bread pakora, palak pakora and potato pakora.
Ingredients
Sprouted mung beans: I have used whole mung beans that have been soaked and sprouted. If you don’t have sprouted at hand, just use mung beans soaked overnight and drained. You may also use yellow moong dal that has been soaked for a couple of hours in the recipe.
Onion, garlic, green chilli and cilantro: Add flavor to the pakode.
Spices: Ajwain, garam masala and ground coriander are used for taste.
Chickpea flour: This is used so that you can bind the batter to form pakode.
Baking Soda: Couple of pinches can make the pakode puff up slightly and feel lighter, but it is optional.
Oil: A little vegetable oil is used in the batter and for brushing before air frying. This helps with browning and crisping.
Instructions
Wash, soak and sprout whole mung beans. I always keep some at hand hence used them. You may use soaked whole mung beans or yellow moong dal in the recipe as well.
Drain the water and grind it to a coarse paste after adding garlic cloves, green chilli and oil along with the spices and salt. The batter should be thick and spoonable.
Transfer the dal paste to a bowl and add the chopped onion, cilantro and chickpea flour along with baking soda (if using). Mix well.
The batter must not be runny. It should be thick and easily spoonable. Preheat your air fryer to 180C or 360F for 3 minutes. Line with parchment paper or parchment mat as I have done here. Make small pakore using your hands or with a spoon. You can make them flat too.
You can also just drop spoonfuls of the mixture directly into the basket in a single layer.
Air fry at 180C or 360F for about 12–14 minutes. After 8 minutes, brush them lightly with oil and air fry more. Cook till they are golden and crisp on the outside.
Take them out and serve hot with green chutney or ketchup. Enjoy your moong pakore.
Expert Tips
1. Thoroughly drain the mung beans before blending them. Don’t add water as we don’t want the batter to be runny.
2. Place pakore evenly on the basket so that they can cook evenly.
3. For extra crispiness, you can add a spoonful of rice flour to the batter.
4. If your batter feels too runny, you can add more chickpea flour to make it of the right consistency.
5. You may also add shredded spinach, grated carrot, beet or cabbage to the batter.
6. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container. Reheat them in the air fryer for 3–4 minutes at 180C before serving.
📖 Recipe Card
Air fryer Whole Moong Pakode
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups sprouted mung beans or soaked mung beans
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 1 green chilli
- 2 cloves garlic or 4 small cloves
- 2 tbsp. cilantro chopped
- ¼ tsp. ajwain carom seeds
- ½ tsp. garam masala
- ½ tsp. ground coriander
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp. chickpea flour
- 1 tsp. oil for brushing
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Instructions
- Wash, soak and sprout whole mung beans. I always keep some at hand hence used them. You may use soaked whole mung beans or yellow moong dal in the recipes moong dal.
- Drain the water and grind it to a coarse paste after adding garlic cloves, green chilli and oil along with the spices and salt. The batter should be thick and spoonable.
- Transfer the dal paste to a bowl and add the chopped onion, cilantro and chickpea flour along with baking soda (if using). Mix well. The batter must not be runny. It should be thick and easily spoonable.
- Preheat your air fryer to 180C or 360F for 3 minutes. Line with parchment paper or parchment mat as I have done here. Make small pakore using your hands or with a spoon. You can make them flat too.
- You can also just drop spoonfuls of the mixture directly into the basket in a single layer.
- Air fry at 180C or 360F for about 12–14 minutes. After 8 minutes, brush them lightly with oil and air fry more. Cook till they are golden and crisp on the outside.
- Take them out and serve hot with green chutney or ketchup. Enjoy your moong pakore.
Rachna says
This was a hit at my home. So tasty and so very healthy.