Andhra Cuisine ~ Pappu Chekkalu

Event: Blogging marathon #40
Theme: Evening snacks

Savory snacks that can be stored for weeks without any refrigeration is a part of Indian cuisine. Going by the regional variations, one would have plenty of choices to enjoy along with their evening coffee / tea. As in case of many south Indian homes - chaklis, kodbales and chekkalu are some of the snacks we love. And especially chekkalu are the most frequently made snack in my husband's family and a favorite of all. These crispy, addictive discs are prepared using rice flour and are deep fried. These are prepared with minor regional variations through out south India and go by the name of nippattu in Karnataka and thattai in Tamilnadu. I had previously posted another variation of chekkalu that gets frequently made in our home, here. This version uses green chillies while the other one uses the dry chili powder.

Ingredients: (yield about 18 - 20)
2 cups rice flour
2 green chillies
Salt to taste
1/4 cup skinned, split peanuts, 
Oil to fry (I used canola oil.)

Method:

* Grind peanuts and chillies coarsely. 

* Combine the flour, ground chillies-peanuts and salt in a mixing bowl. Add water gradually to make a dough of thick consistency.

* Meanwhile, heat oil in a deep frying pan / kadai.

* Take small lemon sized dough and place it on a thick, greased plastic sheet (such as a ziploc bag) or a wax paper. Flatten the ball with your fingers and press it to a thin disc of about 3 inches in diameter. Take the plastic sheet with the disc on and reverse it on to your right hand. Gently peel away the sheet from the disc so that the disc is in your hand.
* Gently drop the flattened dough disc into the hot oil. Without overcrowding the pan, fit as many discs as you can to fry. Deep fry on low flame till it turns light golden in color both sides. Remove them with a slotted spoon onto absorbent towels.
Repeat the procedure until all the dough is finished. Also remember to grease the plastic sheet every time with 1- 2 drops of oil, before making a disc.
* Cool and store the fried nippattu in an airtight container. They stay fresh for weeks and are good accompaniment for coffee / tea.

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