Made from a dough of rice flour, urad dal, and spices, including sesame seeds and cumin, these spiral-shaped treats are deep-fried until crispy. With their crunchy texture and savory flavor, Chaklis are perfect for snacking on their own or paired with a cup of tea. In our house, Chakli is popular during festive gatherings or as a treat for out of town guests.
Note that this recipe requires a Chakli press, which is basically an extruder with removable plates to make a range of shapes. For this recipe, you will need a star plate.
Chakli
Ingredients
- 4 cups Rice flour
- 1 cup Urad Dal
- 2 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1/4 tsp Asafoetida (Hing)
- 1 tsp Sesame Seeds
- 1/2 cup Butter at room temperature
- Salt to taste
- 3-4 cups Vegetable Oil for deep frying
Equipment
- Chakli press
Instructions
- Boil urad dal in a pressure cooker with 2 cups of water.
- Allow it to cool completely. Then mash it well or run it through a food processor to create a smooth paste. Do not add any water.
- Add rice flour, salt, cumin seeds, hing, sesame seeds, and the softened butter.
- Adding a little water a time mix everything together to form a soft dough.
- Gather 6 small saucers or squares of aluminum foil and lay them out on the counter.
- Heat the oil in a large kadai or deep saucepan until the oil begins to shimmer. The oil is ready when a little bit of dough dropped in releases air bubbles and rises to the surface quickly. Be careful not to overheat the oil.
- Fit the star plate into the chakli press and spray some non stick spray or lightly oil the container of the press. Load a ball of dough into the press and make spiral shapes on each saucer. Flip the chakli from each saucer onto a wide slotted spoon and lower gently into the oil. Fry in batches of 6 being careful to cook on a medium fire so as to cook the chakli through.
- Drain on paper towels until the chakli is completely cooled and then store in an airtight container for up to a month.