A THREE ingredient recipe; Mamra Chikki makes a great addition to the Sankranti chikkis and a delicious sweet through winter.
It is a 20 minute recipe to bring together and always yummy!
Chikki, a mix of seeds and nuts with a sweetener like sugar or jaggery is popular across India. A sweet that is known for several reasons; it is best enjoyed during the Indian festivals of Lohri and Sankranti. The pleasure of sweet crunchy chikki while flying kites off the terrace is unmatched!
Sanranti recipes include various kinds of chikkis with rewari, undhiyu and ponk. Together these are a perfect meal in place or regular lunch that day!
My fondest memories of Chikki has to be the ones with my grandmother. She was an expert at making chikki and we loved all the ones she would make for us.
There were several television shows in Gujarati that would air different variations to chikki around this time of the year. She would watch them all, try the recipes at home and come up with something every year. However, this Mamra Chikki remained the favorite from her chikkis.
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What is Mamra Chikki
A sweet made with mamra or kurmura with jaggery, this 20 minute recipe is super easy and quick.
Unlike most chikkis that use seeds and nuts to come together, we only use murmura and jaggery to make this one. And if you are a household that loves murmura like us, finding the ingredients is as easy as a trip to the pantry.
This chikki is really a minimalistic version. It can be flavored by several seeds, nuts, rose petals or rose water. These do enhance the taste and flavor. However, this version is our households favorite.
This Recipe of Mamra Chikki
- Needs only three ingredients; jaggery, murmura and ghee. All the other ingredients are just flavorings. Add them if you like, I prefer to skip them.
- The recipe is fairly easy with just one checkpoint; when to add mamra to the cooked jaggery syrup. If it is added early, the chikki will have strings and be chewy. However, overcooked jaggery tends to taste burnt and hard. A simple check helps make it perfect each time.
- While popular for Lohri and Sankranti; this chikki is great throughout the year. Given it has only mamra and jaggery, it is healthier than most snacks.
- It is easy to make a small batch or scale it up. The only extra time needed is to roll the chikki. And this one does disappear quickly. SO double up the recipe and have a great snack all the time.
As I mentioned, we have grown up with a steel container filled with this chikki being a permanent fixture in the kitchen. My grand mother used to make this in bulk and we would enjoy it for days.
Ingredients
- Mamra/ Murmura: Mamra or murmura is the first ingredient here. I use basmati mamra or regular mamra. There are several types of murmura available in the Indian stores. Try and pick the slender ones as they absorb the jaggery syrup better than the hard plump ones. Plus, ensure the packet does not have any salt added. The salt can overpower the sweetness because of the amount we use.
- Jaggery: Desi jaggery works the best for the recipe. Darker colored jaggery will yield a darker chikki while light jaggery gives it a light tinge. Moreover, pick a soft variety but not the powder. The anti-caking agent in jaggery powder interferes with the smooth syrup we are looking for.
- Ghee: A little ghee makes the chikki perfect. It adds gloss to the chikki and helps bind everything together.
- Moreover, some cardamom powder, nuts, rose petals or even some rice crispies can be added to the recipe.
Step by Step Instructions to make Mamra Chikki
1- In a dry pan add the mamra/kurmura.
2- Dry roast for 5-6 minutes till the mamra is slightly crisp but not burnt. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
3- In the same pan add the jaggery.
4- Mix intermittently till it melts.
5- Then turn the flame to the lowest setting and let it cook till it becomes syrup consistency and darkens.
6- To test whether it is cooked to the temperature we desire, add some syrup to cold water in a bowl.
7- It should break cleanly into two pieces without stings. At this stage it will not even stick to the teeth.
8- Add the ghee to the jaggery syrup and whisk well.
9- Transfer the kurmura to the pan.
10- Mix well till all the mamra is coated with the jaggery syrup.
11- Then transfer the entire mix to a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
12- Place another parchment paper on top and flatten it with a flat bowl or measuring cup.
13- Carefully peel off the top parchment paper and mark into pieces using a sharp knife.
14- Cool completely and break the pieces along the marked lines. Transfer to an airtight box and enjoy for days!
Tips and Notes
- Make sure the mamra or kurmura is unsalted. A salted version will de different from the one we are looking for.
- Cook the jaggery till the point of syrup. Test it before adding the murmura. Adding it too early will give a stringy chikki and cooking it too much will result in chewy chikki.
- There are two ways to work the chikki. Transfer the prepared chikki mix between two parchment papers and roll evenly. However, that does result in breaking the murmura while rolling. So I prefer to spread it out with a measuring cup or bowl.
- Line the knife with some oil if it sticks to the soft chikki while cutting. That will help with releasing the knife off the chikki easily.
- Many chikkis are made with sugar instead of jaggery. However, I have not tried this one with any other sweetener except jaggery.
More Chikkis to try
Mamra Chikki
Instructions
- In a dry pan add the mamra/kurmura.
- Dry roast for 5-6 minutes till the mamra is slightly crisp but not burnt. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- In the same pan add the jaggery.
- Mix intermittently till it melts.
- Then turn the flame to the lowest setting and let it cook till it becomes syrup consistency and darkens.
- To test whether it is cooked to the temperature we desire, add some syrup to cold water in a bowl.
- It should break cleanly into two pieces without stings. At this stage it will not even stick to the teeth.
- Add the ghee to the jaggery syrup and whisk well.
- Transfer the kurmura to the pan.
- Mix well till all the mamra is coated with the jaggery syrup.
- Then transfer the entire mix to a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Place another parchment paper on top and flatten it with a flat bowl or measuring cup.
- Carefully peel off the top parchment paper and mark into pieces using a sharp knife.
- Cool completely and break the pieces along the marked lines. Transfer to an airtight box and enjoy for days!
Video
Notes
- Make sure the mamra or kurmura is unsalted. A salted version will de different from the one we are looking for.
- Cook the jaggery till the point of syrup. Test it before adding the murmura. Adding it too early will give a stringy chikki and cooking it too much will result in chewy chikki.
- There are two ways to work the chikki. Transfer the prepared chikki mix between two parchment papers and roll evenly. However, that does result in breaking the murmura while rolling. So I prefer to spread it out with a measuring cup or bowl.
- Line the knife with some oil if it sticks to the soft chikki while cutting. That will help with releasing the knife off the chikki easily.
- Many chikkis are made with sugar instead of jaggery. However, I have not tried this one with any other sweetener except jaggery.
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