Rice Chakkuli

Chakkuli, Chakli, Chakralu are all the different names for the same snack called murukku. There are varieties of chakkuli meaning many variations in the recipe - some use urad dal, rice, sago, fried gram, wheat flour, besan, etc. All of them have their unique flavor and texture!

My childhood memories go back to the Krishna Janmashtami where my mom used to make these delicious chakkulis. As a kid, the significance of this festival was only about many tindis  I would get to munch on. Excitement would build up when one of our neighbors - tamil pati would hand over her thali for us - view of those delectable dishes makes me drool even now :) - ghee appam, sweet seedai, salt seedai, tengol, nippattu, sweet poha and the list goes on. Believe me, the taste that these dishes have on that particular day is so unique maybe because we get them as prasadam from the lord - a gracious gift!
So here we decided to try one of the series of Gokulashtami tindis and it vanished in no time in our tindi poti family :))!

Ingredients
Rice flour fine - 2 1/2 Cup
Butter softened - 2 tbsp
Pinch of hing
Sesame - 1 tsp
Jeera - 1 tsp
Ajwain - 1 tsp
Kashmiri lal mirch - 1/4 tsp
Roasted gram dal/putani - 1/2 Cup
Salt to taste
Water to knead
Oil for frying

Method

• In a large bowl, place the rice flour, butter, hing, sesame, jeera, ajwain, salt, chilli powder.
• Grind the roasted gram dal into a fine powder.
• Add this powder to the above bowl with other ingredients. Mix well.
• Add water as needed and mix it, knead well to a soft dough. 
• Using a chakli maker, press the dough into a spiral shape onto a butter paper.
• Seal the ends so that they don't separate while deep frying.
• Take one chakkuli at a time and slide it into the hot oil.
• Flip the chakkulis and fry them on medium flame until crispy on both sides.
• Drain them on a kitchen roll to remove excess oil.
• Crispy chakkulis are ready to be served with hot chai or coffee!