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Recipe card
Rice flour chakli
Chakli, a spiral-shaped, savory Indian snack, is prepared using rice flour or wheat flour and basic aromatic spices. It is also called chakkuli, murukku, chakralu, and chakri in different languages. Almost all Indian bakeries and Farsan shops sell chaklis throughout the year. This snack is vegan, dairy free and gluten free. During Ganesh Chaturthi and Janmashtami, chakli is made and offered to a god in the form of naivedyam. This savory snack can be prepared a week before the festival, and it still remains crispy and fresh. During Diwali, chakli is distributed as goodies to neighbors, family, and friends. This snack is so tasty that people enjoy it as an evening snack with coffee and tea. Check our classic murukku recipe prepared using rice flour and urad dal, vrat wale samo rice chakli prepared during navratri or baked chakli recipe.
Ingredients
Rice flour: Base for the chakli dough. It is easily available in any Asian or Indian store. Spices: cumin seeds, turmeric, red chile powder, hing, sesame seeds is all what I have used. Fat: Butter or coconut oil, hot. Chickpea flour: helps in binding and adds nice texture. Check out the recipe card for the full list of the ingredients.
Chakli dough
Add rice flour, chickpea flour, salt, cumin seeds, sesame seeds, turmeric powder, chile powder, hing and mix well. Pour the hot oil or butter and mix well using a spoon first and then hand so that the oil is incorporated evenly. Add hot water and mix to form a non-sticky dough. (Start with 2 tablespoon water and add in increments of tsp). The dough should be firm, non-sticky, but not dry. (If the dough becomes sticky, adjust with flour, and if it becomes dry, adjust with water).
How to make chakli?
Grease the murukku mold and the star-shaped plate with oil. Fill the chakli mold with the prepared dough and gently press, moving from the center towards the outside, to form a spiral-shaped chakli of the desired size on parchment paper (you can also use a muslin cloth or butter paper). If you find it difficult to shape, make sticks from it. Only shape some chaklis from the dough at a time, depending on the size of your frying pan. Otherwise, it is going to dry out and make your chakli brittle.
How to fry crispy chakli?
Heat oil in a pan for frying on medium flame. Check if the oil is hot. Drop a piece of dough; it should sizzle and come up slowly without browning. Lift the parchment paper, gently remove the chakli, and slide it in hot oil, 6 to 7 chakkulis at a time, depending on the size of the pan. Do not disturb them until they become slightly firm. Flip and cook until it becomes crispy and crunchy on all sides. Remove using a slotted spoon and transfer them to a paper towel to absorb excess oil. Repeat the process for the remaining dough. You can store it in an air-tight container. It will remain fresh for at least 15 days.
Tips
If you are making this for the first time, I recommend doing a small batch first. Add more oil or butter to the dough if the chaklis are getting brittle. While you are preparing the chakli using the press, remember to keep the remaining dough covered. Always fry this on a medium flame to get it right. Do not fry on high flame; this will make your chaklis turn brown quickly and taste bitter. If the oil is not hot enough, then chaklis will turn soft fast. Vary the spices as per your taste. You can even use the piping bag with a star nozzle. If the dough breaks while shaping, it means there is less moisture in the dough. Add water and mix the dough. Then, shape the chaklis. I generally shape small bite-size chaklis as these are enjoyed by my kids.
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