November 5, 14:07Aaj Tak

Instant Oil Chakli Recipe: Make Crispy Diwali Snacks at Home

If you want to prepare something crispy and delicious for guests during Diwali, try homemade instant oil chakli. This snack, made from rice flour, butter, cumin, and black cumin, pairs wonderfully with tea. The article provides a simple recipe and tips on how to make it extra crunchy.

Before the Diwali festival, guests start visiting homes, and people usually buy sweets and snacks from stores. However, you can make delicious chakli at home that has a unique taste and is perfect with tea.

Chakli, popular in South India and also known as Murukku, is traditionally made from rice flour and various spices. If you like crispy and tasty chakli like the store-bought kind, you can make instant oil chakli at home. The specialty of this recipe is that it requires not many ingredients: rice flour, butter, cumin, and black cumin make this chakli very flavorful. Adding oil enhances the taste, and proper frying makes it very crunchy.

Step-by-step preparation process

First, take a large bowl and pour rice flour into it. Add butter, cumin, black cumin, and salt to taste. Mix everything thoroughly by hand so that the butter is evenly distributed in the flour.

Next, gradually add a little water and knead a soft dough. It is important that the dough is neither too stiff nor too sticky. Cover it and let it rest for a few minutes.

After that, use a special chakli machine with a star-shaped mold. Fill the dough into the machine. Pressing and rotating the machine on a clean plate or parchment paper, shape the dough into chakli. Repeat this process with all the dough, forming small chaklis. When shaping, ensure the size is not too large, otherwise, they might not cook through inside.

Heat oil in a pot. When the oil reaches medium temperature, carefully drop in the chakli. Fry them over medium or low heat until golden and crispy, turning them gently occasionally. After the chaklis are well cooked, remove them and place them on a paper towel or rack to drain excess oil. The cooled chakli is ready.

Tips for achieving crunchy chakli

When kneading the dough for chakli, add water in portions, not all at once. If the dough turns out too stiff, it will be difficult to extrude through the chakli machine. Always fry the chakli over medium heat so that they cook completely inside. If the oil is too hot, the chaklis will brown quickly on the outside while remaining raw inside.

When should chakli be stored? Store the chakli in an airtight container only after they have completely cooled down. This will help maintain their crunchy texture for a long time. You can make a batch and store it in a sealed container, enjoying it as desired.

Professional tip: If you do not have a chakli machine, you can use a sturdy savory snack maker with a star-shaped nozzle. When adding water to the dough, be sure to add it gradually, depending on the amount of dough.

Similar stories

www.aajtak.inNovember 2, 12:16

Rice Flour Jalebi Recipe: Make Crispy and Aromatic Sweets at Home

Jalebis made from rice flour are characterized by a crispy texture and excellent taste. Preparing this sweet pastry does not require much effort, as it only needs a few common ingredients to create delicious jalebis comparable to those made by professional confectioners.

Jalebi is a dessert that stimulates the appetite upon mention. Everyone enjoys savoring hot and crispy jalebis sold in stores. Although traditionally jalebis are made from wheat flour, trying rice flour jalebis is a special experience. This version, combining rice and wheat flour, boasts a magnificent flavor, and its crispy structure and sweet syrup make it unique.

The good news is that preparing this dessert does not require many components; it is easy to make with ordinary products available at home. If you want to try something sweet and unusual, instead of buying ready-made jalebis, you can make them yourself from rice flour. A simple instruction for preparation is provided below.

Preparing the Dough

First, mix the rice flour, wheat flour, yogurt, baking powder, and food coloring in a large bowl. All ingredients must be thoroughly mixed until a smooth dough is obtained. It is important that the dough is neither too thick nor too thin. After kneading, the dough must be covered and left for 10–15 minutes.

Preparing the Sugar Syrup

Meanwhile, you should prepare the syrup for the jalebis. To do this, pour sugar and half a cup of water into a pan and heat. After the sugar has completely dissolved, the mixture must be boiled until a one-thread syrup is achieved. At the very end, add cardamom powder to the syrup for aroma.

Frying and Soaking

The prepared dough needs to be filled into a special jalebi mold or a clean milk bag. Heat oil in a pot or pan. If a milk bag is used, slightly cut a corner of it, and then drop the dough into the hot oil, rotating it to form the jalebi shape. Fry the jalebis over medium heat until golden and crispy on both sides. After that, remove them from the oil and immediately immerse them in the prepared syrup. The jalebis must remain in the syrup for about 4–5 minutes to fully absorb the sweetness.

Finally, take the jalebis out of the syrup and serve them hot. The crispy and sweet rice flour jalebis will please all family members.

www.aajtak.inOctober 26, 11:56

Methi Pakoda Curry Recipe: Prepare This Dish on Cool Days

Curry (Kadhi) is an important part of Indian cuisine, which many prefer to serve with rice. Although curry with lentil fritters (besan) is usually made at home, you can prepare methi pakoda curry if you want to try something new and delicious.

Curry has its own unique taste and significance in Indian cuisine. The enjoyment of the food doubles when hot curry is served with rice. Most families make curry with besan fritters, but if you are tired of monotonous eating and desire variety, methi pakoda curry will be an excellent choice. Its taste differs from regular curry, and the methi leaves give it a special aroma.

This curry, made from methi, besan, onion, and yogurt, is easy to prepare for both lunch and dinner. Serving it with hot rice or flatbreads further enhances the flavor. Below is the recipe for making methi pakoda curry and a list of necessary ingredients.

To begin, mix chopped methi leaves, half a cup of besan, finely chopped onion, red chili powder, baking soda, and salt in one pot. Add a little water to obtain a thick mixture. Then, form small fritters (pakodas) from this mass.

Heat oil in a pan. Fry the fritters over medium heat until golden brown and fully cooked. After that, remove them and set them aside.

In another pot, mix sour yogurt, one cup of besan, ginger paste, green chili paste, salt, and about two cups of water. Whisk all ingredients thoroughly so that there are no lumps in the solution.

Next, heat a little oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds (rai), cumin (jeera), and asafoetida (hing) and let them sizzle. Then lightly fry red chili and turmeric powder. After that, pour the prepared yogurt and besan mixture into the pan and stir constantly.

When the curry boils, reduce the heat. Cook it for about 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally so that the curry does not stick to the bottom. When the curry is well cooked and thickened, add the prepared methi fritters. Cook them for another 5–7 minutes over low heat so that the fritters fully absorb the curry flavor.

Garnish the finished methi pakoda curry with finely chopped fresh coriander. Serve it with hot rice or flatbreads and enjoy the taste.