Chakri/ Chakli – Crispy Snack
Chakli is a delicious crispy snack that is often made year-round; however, it is especially popular during the Diwali festival. The eccentric-looking spirals of dough are made from two different types of flour and some spices. It contributes to its unique flavor and texture.
To achieve that crispy crunchy taste and texture, they are deep fried.
Some people call it Chakli or Chakri. Chakri means spiral shape. Furthermore, Chakri made in not only in Gujarat but also in many other parts of India, with slight variations. For instance, some use rice and lentil flour, while others use rice and besan, and some even create it from all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour. Furthermore, in the southern parts of India, cooks call it Murukku, and you will see it on packages labeled as murukku or chakli.
You cannot resist chakri with a cup of tea.
The flour is seasoned with sesame seeds, some spices, green chilies, etc., and kneaded into a dough. Subsequently, the iconic spiral shape is achieved by using a chakri mold or maker. Next, we fill it with the dough and roll it out into circles. Finally, these are then immediately fried until golden brown and crispy.
Different recipes use different ingredients. Some use lentils and rice flour mix, some make it from whole wheat flour.
Ingredients required:
Rice flour, Chickpea flour or besan, and dalia powder. Dalia are split chickpeas that we use for snacking or add in poha chevdo. Moreover, they are also used in chutneys. etc. These are three flour combinations used.
Other than that I have used spices – red chili powder, turmeric for nice yellow color, roasted cumin seeds add nice flavor to it too. Additionally, sesame seeds give it nice nutty taste. I love adding green chili paste compared to red chili powder alone. It makes it slightly spicy, just the way I love it.
Finally, they are fried in oil. I am going to link a chakli press, mine was given to me by my mother-in-law. The link will take you to brass chakli press, I have seen many different ones too. The star/flower shape design is the one we use to make chakri.
I love slightly spicy chakri and the addition of sesame seeds adds nice nuttiness to the snack. You can’t just stop at one. These are so addictive. For more Diwali snacks – click here!
Chakri – Chakli- Murukku
Ingredients
- 2 cup Rice flour
- ½ cup Besan or chickpea flour
- ½ cup Dalia ground see note
- 2 tbsp whole wheat flour
- 2 tbsp melted hot butter
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- ½ tbsp – 1 tbsp green chili paste
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- ½ cup hot water
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- Add all 3 flours in a mixing bowl, Add all the dry ingredients and hot melted butter. Mix it carefully, and gradually bring dough together. Do not put all the water, add some and then add some more if you feel like you need it.
- Knead soft dough. Dough should not be sticky. Keep dough covered aside.
- Heat oil in a frying pan on medium heat.
- Prepare Chakri press, oil it on all sides and insert the chakri shape. Take some of the dough and add it in the chakri press, close the top of the press tightly.
- Start rotating the chakri press, once it starts coming out go into circular motion. You can pipe them on silicone mat, parchment paper or in my case I used fondant mat. The circles should be close and tight to each other.
- Gently, seal the end part. Once you have enough chakris shaped, start frying.
- Same way, make few chakris and fry few until you have no more dough left.
- Fry on one side and then gently carefully turn it on the other side. If you do this step before its cooked enough, chances are it will break while turning it up.
- Remember to lower the heat slightly when you are shaping and piping the chakris. So that the oil is not too hot.
- Remove chakris after frying on a cooling rack, lined with paper towels.
- Once all chakris coold down, store them in an air-tight container at room temperature. They do not go stale for a few days.
Notes
- Dalia is the split chickpea, that we use for chivdas or snacking. Grind it up at home into fine powder.
- Taste a little piece of dough, to make sure spices and salt are enough.
- Depending on the flour, you may need more or less water. The dough should be tight, but not dry. If it feels dry or it gets dry, just add tbsp of water and check. If its too dry, the chakris will not hold their shape.
- The trick to not let chakri disintegrate while frying is to press and secure the end part of chakri.fries properly.
- The temperature of oil is very important to fry them, so make sure it’s not too hot or too low. Start with frying one and see if it works. They need to crisp up and look golden brown in color.