Kara Sev

 

Like the rest of the mortals around me, the first thing I get stressed about think about when we are planning trips involving long car / train journeys is food. While I am making a list of things we need to carry, I would be simultaneously making a mental list of food items that my family would enjoy on the trip. And of course the savory south Indian snacks like chakli, nippattu and kodbale, top that list, by default. 
I usually try to pack one or two savory snacks besides home baked savory/sweet breads and cookies, especially when I know that we are going to be confined to our vehicle for long hours with kids during our vacations. When one is particularly driving long distances, all those pit stops for food and other necessities cost time and one less stop for food is time saved. :)
A savory snack under this category happens to be kara sev. It was one of the challenges for a previous Indian cooking challenge. My mother was visiting me at that time and we ended up making vampoosa instead, reminiscing about my grandma. And so I thought of updating my blog with a kara sev recipe today and here it is.

Ingredients:
2.5 cups besan / chickpea flour
1 cup rice flour
1/8 tsp turmeric powder (optional)
2 tsp chili powder (Reduce if mild sev is preferred.)
1 Tbsp ghee
Salt to taste
4 - 6 cups of oil to fry (In India, usually peanut oil is used to fry and I have used canola.)
Special utensils needed:
Chakli mould / press with the big holes disc
A kadai (Indian wok) to fry the chaklis in
A big slotted spoon to remove the chaklis

Preparing the dough:
Sieve the flours and combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add water and make thick dough. (Almost same as or a little softer than roti dough. I used a little more than a cup of water and the cup used is the same one that has been used for dry ingredients. I am mentioning the quantity to just give an idea and use your discretion. Have to figure out how much depending upon the dough consistency.)

Frying part:
* Heat the oil in a kadai. To test whether the oil is hot enough to fry, slowly slide a pinch of dough into the oil. If it sizzles and comes to surface, then the oil is ready. If not, heat the oil a little longer.
* Take a small portion of the dough and fill in the chakli press. Mean while, keep the remaining dough covered. Using your hands, press the mould over the hot oil making circling motion so that coils of dough from the mold dropping into the oil make a circle shape. You can press as big circle as the circumference of the kadai.
If you are not comfortable directly pressing the dough into the hot oil, you can make the dough circles using the press on the back side of a greased slotted spoon and gently drop it into the hot oil.
* Fry on low-medium flame until they turn golden brown.
* Remove them with a slotted spoon and drain them on paper towel covered plate.
* Repeat the process with the remaining dough.
* Cool them and store in an airtight container.

I usually break the chaklis before storing because we make kadai/pan sized ones. It is convenient to eat the small strings than the super sized chaklis.

 This is my post under "Travel Dishes" theme for BM#36. Check here to know what other marathoners are cooking. 

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