Chekkalu
- 65 min
- medium
- Serves 4
Chekkalu are crisp Andhra rice crackers of rice flour, chana dal, peanuts and curry leaves, deep fried. Medium-spicy, serves 4, about 65 minutes plus soaking.
Good for: Deepavali, Party, Rainy Day
Ingredients
Chana Dal30 grams
Water, For Soaking150 ml
Rice Flour250 grams
Peanuts40 grams
White Sesame Seeds1 tbsp
Curry leaves2 grams
Green Chilli10 grams
Red Chilli Powder3 grams
Asafoetida0.5 grams
Salt1 tsp
Oil2 tbsp
Contains: groundnut, wheat, sesame.
Nutrition
Per 1 person, and for all 4 people. Worked out from the ingredients, so treat it as a close guide.
| Nutrient | Per 1 person | All 4 people |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 571kcal | 2284kcal |
| Protein | 8.6g | 34g |
| Carbohydrate | 58g | 230g |
| Fat | 34g | 137g |
| Fibre | 4g | 16g |
| Sugar | 0.7g | 2.8g |
Cookd masalas for rice flour
Method
Get ready by soaking the rinsed chana dal in 150 ml water for 30 minutes. Drain it fully; the dal should be firm but easy to bite. Meanwhile, crush the peanuts, and rinse and finely chop the curry leaves and green chillies.
Mix the rice flour, crushed peanuts, sesame seeds, curry leaves, green chillies, red chilli powder, asafoetida and salt in a bowl. Add the drained chana dal and 2 tbsp oil. Rub and mix until the oil is spread through the flour.
Add 180 ml water little by little and mix into a firm, smooth dough. The dough should not be soft or sticky. Cover and rest it for 5 minutes until the flour absorbs the water.
Divide the dough into 20 to 24 equal balls. Press each ball into a thin round on a greased banana leaf or clean food-safe plastic sheet. Shape them for about 15 minutes, until all the rounds are thin and have even edges.
Heat the deep-frying oil in a kadai on medium flame for 4 to 5 minutes. Drop in a small piece of dough; the oil is ready when it rises slowly with small bubbles without turning dark at once.
Slide a few chekkalu into the hot oil without crowding the kadai. Fry each batch on medium flame for 2 to 3 minutes per side, turning gently, until both sides are light golden and the bubbles reduce. Fry all the chekkalu in 4 to 5 batches.
Remove the chekkalu and drain them on a plate lined with paper towel. Cool them for 15 minutes until they reach room temperature and become crisp before storing.
Before you start
- How long does Chekkalu take?
- 1 hour 5 minutes from start to finish. That is 30 minutes of preparation and 35 minutes of cooking.
- How many people does Chekkalu serve?
- 4. The ingredient quantities on this page rescale if you are cooking for a different number.
- Is Chekkalu vegetarian?
- Yes. No meat, no fish and no egg.
- Is Chekkalu spicy?
- It is medium: 2 on our scale of 3. Chilli scales gently when you change the servings, so doubling the recipe does not double the heat.
- What do I need to make Chekkalu?
- 250 grams Rice Flour, 30 grams Chana Dal, 40 grams Peanuts, 2 grams Curry leaves, 10 grams Green Chilli, 3 grams Red Chilli Powder, and a few more listed on this page.
- Do I need a pressure cooker for Chekkalu?
- No, it is cooked in an open pot.
- How many calories are in Chekkalu?
- About 571 a serving. The full nutrition table is on this page, per serving and for the whole batch.
Tips from other cooks
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