PappuChekalu

1 cups Rice flour
2 tsp Chenna dal – Senaga pappu
1/4 " Butter stick
Chili-Ginger-Coriander paste
1 tsp Red Chili flakes (use per taste)
1 tsp Jeera
Hing
Oil for frying

Soak chenna dal in warm water for 1- 2 hrs. Drain water and keep aside.

Take 1:2 water for the rice flour. Boil water in a non stick sauce pan. Add chenna dal, chili-ginger-coriander paste, jeera, red chili flakes, hing, salt and butter, bring to a boil. Cook for a few minutes and remove from the flame and add rice flour mixing thoroughly and quickly. By doing this, it will prevent from the rice flour from forming into lumps.

Let cool for a few minutes then roll out the whole dough first by cutting and having logs of dough ready to be rolled. Place a damp cloth or tissue while working on a batch. Make marble sized balls and using dry rice flour and fingers flatten into small circles. Then prick them with a fork a couple of times. By doing this, while frying, it will not puff out like poori. Look at the photo tutorial below for better understanding.

Heat oil in a kadai (I personally prefer a traditional concave shape kadai for maximum usage of space with less oil) and never let the oil be screaming hot! It burns the first batch.

Drop each one gently in the oil till the kadai is full. Do not move the chaka’s in the oil immediately, this will mess the shape, after a few minutes (1 or 2) use tongs or a strainer and turn it the other way. Have the flame in low/medium so that all of them are nicely done inside and outside.

Remove when they have all turned into a nice golden color. Place them on paper towels so the excess oil is absorbed.

Pappu chekalu have a good shelf life. Save in an air tight container. These are addictive and cannot be stopped from eating ONE more! It is a lengthy process but all worth it, trust me.