Soak the moong dal for 5 hours. It can also be soaked for 2-3 hours.

Wash the soaked dal thoroughly and drain the water completely.

Put the drained moong dal into a mixer grinder.

Add the green chillies, carom seeds, mint leaves, curry leaves, garlic, and ginger.

Grind this mixture without adding any water. It is okay if some whole dal pieces remain

Optionally, add 2-3 tablespoons of rice while soaking the dal or 2 small spoons of cooked rice while grinding for extra crispiness.

Transfer the ground dal to a bowl. Add chopped coriander leaves, salt to taste, a little turmeric powder, coarsely crushed coriander seeds, and one medium-sized chopped onion.

Optionally, add a pinch of fennel seeds (saunf), roughly crushed.

Mix everything well.

Add a pinch of cooking soda (optional) and mix gently in one direction.

Add a little raw cumin seeds, crushed between your palms and mix well.

Heat oil in a pan. The oil should be well heated.

Drop small portions of the batter into the hot oil.

Fry on medium heat. If the flame is too low, the pakodas will absorb oil.

Fry until the pakodas turn golden brown and crispy.

Optionally, fry some green chillies (slit and filled with a little salt) along with the pakodas.

Remove the fried pakodas and chillies from the oil.

The pakodas should be crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Enjoy your Crispy Moong Dal Pakoda.