Made from a dough of rice flour, puttani powder, and spices, these spicy snacks from Karnataka are deep-fried until crispy. With their crunchy texture and savory flavor, Muccharey are perfect for snacking on their own or paired with a cup of coffee. In our house, Muccharey is popular during festive gatherings or as a treat for out of town guests. These are similar to Chakli in appearance and texture, but unlike Chakli, they have a mildly spicy flavor.
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 plate with three star shaped holes.
Muccharey
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Puttani powder
- 3 cups Rice flour
- 6-8 Dry red chillies Preferably Byadagi variety
- 1/4 tsp Hing
- 1/2 tsp Poppy seeds
- 4 tbsp Butter at room temperature
- 1/2 -3/4 tsp Salt to taste
- 3-4 cups Vegetable or Canola oil for deep frying
Equipment
- Chakli press with a plate with 3 star shaped holes
- Spice grinder
Instructions
- Dry roast red chillies and poppy seeds lightly in a saucepan and powder using a spice grinder
- Mix this powder with the rest of the ingredients incorporating the butter evenly and make a soft dough using a little water at a time.
- 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 three 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 press large irregular shapes directly into the hot oil. Fry on a medium fire so as to cook the mucchare through.
- Drain on paper towels until the muccharey is completely cooled and then break them up into large pieces. Store in an airtight container for up to a month.
Notes
You can substitute red chili powder for dried red chilies in a pinch. The one difference will be that you won’t see flecks of chili in the muccharey.
Picture by Neelu Jain