chekkalu recipe | pappu chekkalu | andhra style spice rice cracker with detailed photo and video recipe. a traditional andhra style or telugu cuisine snack made with rice flour and soaked chana dal. it is a unique deep fried snack recipe made especially during a festival celebration like diwali. the recipe is simple to make but can be an overwhelming experience, particularly in deep frying and rolling to shapes.
i have great exposure to vegetarian andhra style dishes or telugu cuisine as my mother had a brief history with guntur, andhra pradesh. having said that, chekkalu recipe was very new to me and i came across this recipe only when my husband got this to me from his office colleague. my first impression was very ordinary and my presumption was just another snack recipe. but it was immediately corrected with the first bite of this. it was full of flavour with pepper and more importantly, i just loved the crispiness of this snack. without any further due, i was hungry for the recipe and made sure to seek it from my husbands colleague. in this attempt, i have almost attained the same crisp and spice level, but lesser spice and less savoury. alternatively, you can add more pepper and salt to make it a lip-smacking spicy savoury snack.
there aren’t much tips and suggestions for chekkalu recipe, yet i would like to highlight few to make it a perfect one. firstly, the dough has to be prepared with as much as less water with small batches added in intervals. with more water, the chakkalu may absorb more oil while deep frying and also may turn less crisp. secondly, deep fry these discs in a low to medium flame for an ultra crisp texture. do not compromise and fry these in high flame. it can be tiring and overwhelming experience, but keep your patience for a crisp chakkalu. lastly, store these snack in an airtight container in a dry place for a longer shelf life.
finally, i recommend you to check my other snacks recipes collection with this post of pappu chekkalu recipe. it includes recipes like thattai, ribbon pakoda, methi puri, farsi puri, omapodi, aloo bhujia, kara sev, spicy boondi and butter murukku recipe. in addition, do visit my other recipes collection like,
chekkalu video recipe:
recipe card for chekkalu recipe:
chekkalu recipe | pappu chekkalu | andhra style spice rice cracker
Ingredients
- 2 cup rice flour, fine
- ½ tsp pepper, crushed
- 1 tsp cumin / jeera
- 1 tsp sesame / til
- pinch hing / asafoetida
- 1 tbsp butter, room temperature
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 inch ginger
- 1 chilli
- handful curry leaves
- ¼ cup chana dal, soaked 1 hour
- water to knead
- oil for frying
Instructions
- firstly, in a large bowl take 2 cup rice flour, ½ tsp pepper, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp sesame, pinch hing and ½ tsp salt.
- add 1 tbsp butter and mix well. crumble and mix until the flour turns moist.
- add crushed curry leaves, chilli and ginger mixture to flour.
- also add ¼ cup chana dal (soaked for 1 hour).
- mix well making sure all the spices are combined well.
- furthermore add water as required and knead to smooth and soft dough.
- now grease the butter paper with oil. alternatively use plastic sheet or banana leaf.
- pinch a small ball sized dough.
- further, flatten over greased butter paper.
- press gently, forming a slightly thin disk.
- peel the chekkalu gently, and deep fry on medium hot oil.
- make sure to flip over and fry both sides on low to medium flame.
- fry until the chekkalu turns crisp and slightly golden. takes approximately 10 minutes.
- drain off over kitchen paper to absorb excess oil.
- finally, store chekkalu in an airtight container and enjoy for a month.
how to make pappu chekkalu with step by step photo:
- firstly, in a large bowl take 2 cup rice flour, ½ tsp pepper, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp sesame, pinch hing and ½ tsp salt.
- add 1 tbsp butter and mix well. crumble and mix until the flour turns moist.
- in a small blender take 1 inch ginger, 1 chilli and handful curry leaves.
- blend to coarse paste without adding water.
- transfer the curry leaves mixture to flour.
- also add ¼ cup chana dal (soaked for 1 hour).
- mix well making sure all the spices are combined well.
- furthermore add water as required and knead to smooth and soft dough.
- now grease the butter paper with oil. alternatively use plastic sheet or banana leaf.
- pinch a small ball sized dough. further, flatten over greased butter paper.
- press gently, forming a slightly thin disk.
- peel the chekkalu gently, and deep fry on medium hot oil.
- make sure to flip over and fry both sides on low to medium flame.
- fry until the chekkalu turns crisp and slightly golden. takes approximately 10 minutes.
- drain off over kitchen paper to absorb excess oil.
- finally, store chekkalu in an airtight container and enjoy for a month.
notes:
- firstly, do not overcrowd the chekkalu while frying. make sure to drop one by one without breaking.
- also, increase the amount of pepper of you do not like spice of chilli.
- additionally, add soaked moong dal along with soaked chana dal for a variation.
- finally, chekkalu recipe tastes great when prepared spicy and crispy.