Moongdal Chaklis / Moogadali Chakkuli

Moongdal Chaklis

Ingredients :

All purpose flour / Maida – 1.5 cups

Split skinless greegram / Moongdal – 1/2 cup

Red chilli powder – To taste

Black (or white) sesame seeds – 1tsp

Cumin seeds / Jeera – 1tsp

Salt – To taste

Oil – For deep frying

Procedure :

Take all purpose flour in a cotton cloth and tie it tightly so that it is closed from all sides.

Now steam the all purpose flour or maida (in cloth) for 15 minutes.

Once done allow it to cool for few minutes. It looks like a solid mass which can be broken with bare hands after steaming.

Once the flour is warm, it becomes easy to handle. Start breaking the lumps using your hand (because once it cools down completely, it hardens and hence more effort is required to break the lumps).

Then sieve it to get a lump free flour. Set it aside.

Now wash the moongdal and cook it in a pressure cooker for 3-4 whistles so that it turns mushy (don't add too much water). Once cooked transfer it to a bowl and mix it.

Then add red chilli powder, cumin seeds, sesame seeds and salt.

Finally add the prepared all purpose flour (maida) to this mixture. Mix it well without adding water to get a non sticky, soft dough.

Now keep the oil for heating on a medium-high. Now take the chakli making press. I used the mould plate having one hole.

Now divide the dough into two parts. Keep one part of the mixture closed (to avoid drying) and the other part in the mould. Now start rotating it in clockwise direction and make small/big chakli (the free end of the chakli should be sealed. otherwise there are chances of  it opening up).

You can make chaklis on a parchment paper or banana leaf (as required for one batch. Don't make too much of them in advance. It will dry and fall apart while frying). I made 4-5 per batch . 

Then transfer it to hot oil carefully. 

Fry them evenly on both sides, until they turn light brown (another indication of the end point is the bubbles stop forming). Take it out and drain the excess oil on a paper towel.

Moogadali Chakkuli is ready!!

Allow it to cool then the store them in an air tight container.