Chakuli: Pappa's Spirals and Our Diwali Tradition
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 500 g rice flour
- 500 ml water
- 50 g unsalted butter
- 1½ tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp white sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp black sesame seeds
- 1½ tsp red chilli powder, optional
- ½ tsp turmeric powder, optional
- 1 tsp salt, or to taste
- Oil, for deep frying
Instructions
Method
- Bring the 500 ml water to a boil in a pan.
- Add the cumin seeds, both sesame seeds, salt and butter. Add the chilli powder and turmeric if using. Stir well and bring back to a boil.
- Switch off the heat. Add the rice flour and mix roughly until the flour is incorporated. Cover for around 5 minutes, or until cool enough to handle.
- Keep the dough covered with a moist cloth. Take one portion and knead it well before putting it into the chakuli maker.
- Pipe spirals onto parchment paper squares, pressing the end gently against the spiral to secure it.
- Heat the frying oil until medium-hot. Carefully lift each chakuli from the parchment and lower it into the oil, one at a time. Fry in batches, turning as needed, until cooked and the bubbling has almost stopped.
- Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Knead and pipe the next portion of dough, keeping the remaining dough covered.
- Let the chakulis cool completely before storing in an airtight dabba.
Notes
- Keep the base ratio: 500 g rice flour, 500 ml water and 50 g butter. This is the starting ratio my parents recommend.
- Fry in medium-hot oil: oil that is too cool can leave the chakulis oily.
- Keep the dough covered: use a moist cloth so it does not dry out while you work.
- Knead each portion: kneading before filling the maker helps reduce breakage while piping.
- Watch the dough consistency: it should be firm enough to hold the spirals while still passing through the maker. In the recipe reel, my first batch of dough was a little soft, so I added a little more rice flour and kneaded it again.
- Test a small batch first: fry and taste a small batch to check the salt. If needed, add a little salted water and rice flour to the dough and knead again, adjusting gradually.
- For the plain version: leave out the chilli powder and turmeric. Both versions appear in the 2021 reel.