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.

PappuChekalu - Photo tutorial

Roll the dough, cut with a knife and make round balls.


Flaten the ball with fingers (using rice flour if needed) and poke with a fork.


Fry them in batches turing them back and forth.


Crispy, crunchy pappuchekalu are ready.

Jantikalu

A crunchy dry snack with afternoon tea/coffee.


Jantikalu Presser
1 cup Urad dal – Minnapappu
4 cups Rice flour
Chili paste
1 tsp Vamu
Butter stick
Oil to Fry

Dry fry Urad dal in a skillet and let cool. Add 1 tsp of vammu to urad dal and grind to a smooth flour in a Blender /Mixee. Leave butter stick outside for some time.

In a large bowl add rice flour, urad flour, salt, butter stick and chili-paste.
(This can be added according to taste, green chili karam tastes good in this rather than the red chili powder).

Mix all the ingredients using as less water as possible and make a chapati kind of dough. Cover with a damp cloth or paper towel and let sit for 2 -3 hrs.
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 a spoon of hot oil in the mixture; this will make the fried item light. A pinch of cooking or baking soda can also be used.

Take the Jantikalu presser (a special apparatus used for making jantikalu, murukulu ) and use a small holes washer. Fill it in with the dough and try one outside, to see if it is moving smoothly. Add water accordingly and then, try in the oil. This has to be done fast and brisk, as the oil is hot and hot steam comes across the hands. Be very careful.

Move in circles and empty the whole dough in the presser. Do not move the jantika 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.

Remove when it is nice golden color.

Repeat the process. Place them on paper towels so the excess oil is absorbed.
Jantikalu have a good shelf life. Save in an air tight container. Gently press into jantika to make smaller pieces for easy storing and eating!

Chekodilu - Koye Chekodilu

This is a koye-chekodilu recipe.

2 cups Rice
1 cup Urad dal - Minnapappu
1/4 " Butter stick
1 tsp Red Chili Powder (use as wanted)
2 tsp Sesame seeds - Nuvulu
1 tsp Jeera
Hing
Oil for frying


Dry fry rice, dal and sesame seeds separately in a skillet on low flame. Leave butter stick outside so that it becomes soft.

Dry grind rice and dal with 1 tsp of jeera in a mixer jar (in small batches) so it will be done to a smooth flour quickly.

Empty the mixed flour in a bowl add sesame seeds, hing, red chili powder, salt, butter stick and using small portions of water make into nice dough, the consistency of chapatti dough. Mix the dough thoroughly without leaving any flour pockets. They will burst open while frying, so, double check to be safe.

Using dry rice flour as a base, roll the dough into small circles pressing with the palms of the hands. Get them ready before heating the oil.

This is a lengthy process but can be swiftly made by rolling out the whole dough first and cutting and having logs of dough ready to be rolled. Place a damp cloth or tissue while working on a batch. Place them on a plate sprayed with Pam. This will help from not sticking to each other.

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 chekodi 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.

Chekodilu 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.