Spiral shaped Indian snack made from rice flour and spices; Chakli is a deep fried treat. It is an addictive tea time snack and a great Diwali recipe.
Diwali calls for delicious snack and treats. Chakli is almost like a MUST-HAVE for us every year!
An Indian snack made from rice flour and spices; these spirals are super addictive. When served with Masala Chai they make a great snack throughout the year.
What flour do you need to make Chakli?
There are different types of chakli recipes made in different places. The rice flour Murukku in South India, the Bhajani flour version in Maharashtra and the wheat flour chakli in Gujarat.
This recipe is made using store bought rice flour and has a couple of flours added for making it crisp and no fail.
The experts do make it using rice flour alone but adding some chickpea flour and all purpose makes the dough slightly easy to manage.
So this version has a blend of these three flours with rice flour being used the most.
What can be added to the flour?
Chakli can have any kind of seeds and spices as desired. Sesame seeds, carom seeds, cumin, green or red chili or a blend of spices from the store.
I generally add white and black sesame seeds, red chili powder, turmeric powder, green chili paste and some cumin seeds. This is the mix that appeared in the chakli I had most often in India and I make mine with these.
The greasing agent in the dough is butter, ghee or oil. While butter makes it the richest, adding oil works too. I have used salted butter in this recipe.
Do you NEED to fry these?
This recipe is for the fried version. However, I have this baked version here that works with the air fryer too.
For Diwali, I generally make a fried version. It is the time when we enjoy all the snacks in the most authentic way. If you are not making these very often, I would recommend trying the fried version.
Tips to get it right each time
The flour mixture is fairly easy to make. I have measured and mentioned the amount of butter needed but it depends on the flour brand used.
To simplify it, once you add the ingredients except water, try bringing the dough together in your palm.
If it comes together without crumbling; it is perfect. If not, add some more molten butter to the dough.
After the dough has rested, it might dry out a little. If that is the case, knead it again with some water and continue with the steps.
Keep the dough and chakli covered at all times. The dough does dry out quickly and results in dry chakli that break up while frying.
Test the oil temperature before frying the chakli. To do so, drop a small dough ball in the oil.
If it rises in under 5 seconds, lower the heat and let the oil cool a little. If it rises in 5-10 seconds, start frying the chakli else wait for the oil to heat up a little.
Looking for more snack recipes? Try these
- Sweet Shakarpara | Sweet Shankarpali
- Almond Cardamom Cookies
- Jowar Dhani Chivda
- Gujarati Sev | Fried Chickpea Noodles
Steps
In a bowl add all the ingredients except water and oil to fry.
Knead well till the butter/oil has incorporated in the flours.
You should be able to bring the dough together in your palm without it crumbling. Else, add some more oil or butter.
Now add water little by little (I used about 1 cup) and knead a soft and smooth dough.
Cover and set aside for 30-40 minutes.
After the dough has rested, grease a chakli press with oil and fit a star tip plate in it. Cut the parchment paper into squares of 4 inches X 4 inches.
Press the dough into the chakli press and pipe out chaklis on the parchment paper.
Continue till you get about 3-4 spirals and then snap the dough. Gently press the end to stick to the remaining chakli.
You can pipe out 10-15 at a time. Let them rest covered so they do not dry out.
Heat the oil to medium high in a pan.
Gently lift the chakli from the paper and add to hot oil. Do not overcrowd the kadhai.
Fry the chakli till both sides are golden brown and remove on a paper towel.
Once the oil drains completely and the chakli cools, transfer to an airtight container.
Store in a cool and dry place. Enjoy with some chai!
Instant Rice Flour Chakli
Ingredients
- Rice Flour 2 cups
- Chickpea Flour ½ cup
- All purpose Flour ½ cup
- White sesame seeds 2 tbsp
- Black sesame seeds 2 tbsp
- Cumin seeds 1 tbsp
- Turmeric Powder ½ tsp
- Red Chili Powder 1 ½ tsp
- Green Chili paste ½ tsp optional
- Salt 1 ½ tsp
- Yogurt 2 tbsp
- Butter 5 tbsp
- Lukewarm Water about 1 cup
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- In a bowl add all the ingredients except water and oil to fry.
- Knead well till the butter/oil has incorporated in the flours.
- You should be able to bring the dough together in your palm without it crumbling. Else, add some more oil or butter.
- Now add water little by little (I used about 1 cup) and knead a soft and smooth dough.
- Cover and set aside for 30-40 minutes.
- After the dough has rested, grease a chakli press with oil and fit a star tip plate in it. Cut the parchment paper into squares of 4 inches X 4 inches.
- Press the dough into the chakli press and pipe out chaklis on the parchment paper.
- Continue till you get about 3-4 spirals and then snap the dough. Gently press the end to stick to the remaining chakli.
- You can pipe out 10-15 at a time. Let them rest covered so they do not dry out.
- Heat the oil to medium high in a pan.
- Gently lift the chakli from the paper and add to hot oil. Do not overcrowd the kadhai.
- Fry the chakli till both sides are golden brown and remove on a paper towel.
- Once the oil drains completely and the chakli cools, transfer to an airtight container.
- Store in a cool and dry place. Enjoy with some chai!
Yield: 20-25 chaklis
Instant Rice Flour Chakli
Spiral shaped Indian snack made from rice flour and spices; Chakli is a deep fried treat. It is an addictive tea time snack and a great Diwali recipe.
Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 35 MinInactive time: 30 MinTotal time: 1 H & 25 M
Ingredients
- Rice Flour 2 cups
- Chickpea Flour ½ cup
- All purpose Flour ½ cup
- White sesame seeds 2 tbsp
- Black sesame seeds 2 tbsp
- Cumin seeds 1 tbsp
- Turmeric Powder ½ tsp
- Red Chili Powder 1 ½ tsp
- Green Chili paste ½ teaspoon (optional)
- Salt 1 ½ tsp
- Yogurt 2 tbsp
- Butter 5 tbsp
- Lukewarm Water about 1 cup
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- In a bowl add all the ingredients except water and oil to fry.
- Knead well till the butter/oil has incorporated in the flours.
- You should be able to bring the dough together in your palm without it crumbling. Else, add some more oil or butter.
- Now add water little by little (I used about 1 cup) and knead a soft and smooth dough.
- Cover and set aside for 30-40 minutes.
- After the dough has rested, grease a chakli press with oil and fit a star tip plate in it. Cut the parchment paper into squares of 4 inches X 4 inches.
- Press the dough into the chakli press and pipe out chaklis on the parchment paper.
- Continue till you get about 3-4 spirals and then snap the dough. Gently press the end to stick to the remaining chakli.
- You can pipe out 10-15 at a time. Let them rest covered so they do not dry out.
- Heat the oil to medium high in a pan.
- Gently lift the chakli from the paper and add to hot oil. Do not overcrowd the kadhai.
- Fry the chakli till both sides are golden brown and remove on a paper towel.
- Once the oil drains completely and the chakli cools, transfer to an airtight container.
- Store in a cool and dry place. Enjoy with some chai!
Notes:
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @herbivorecucina on instagram and hashtag it #herbivorecucina
Leave a Reply