Thattai - Crispy Rice Flour Snack

Thattai is a savoury snack of Tamil Nadu (India) made during Diwali and Krishna Jayanthi festivals.

Ready to eat Thattais

Ingredients:
(makes around 50 to 60 thattais)

4 cups rice flour
4 tbsp urad dal flour
4 tbsp powdered roasted gram (pottukadala in tamil and buna channa in hindi)
1/2 tsp asofoetida
3 tsp chilli powder
3 tbsp channa dal
2 tbsp sesame seeds
4 tbsp butter
Salt to taste
Water to bind
Curry leaves, chopped finely or torn into smaller pieces
Oil for deep frying

ingredients

roast rice flour

Method:

1. Soak channa dal in water.
2. Slightly roast the rice flour for a minute or two.  Put this into a large mixing bowl.
3. Roast the urad dal flour and add it to the rice flour.
4. Add to this the roasted gram powder, asofoetida, salt, chilli powder, sesame seeds, curry leaves, butter, and the soaked channa dal.

5. Mix the above ingredients by adding water and knead into a soft dough.  

6. Keep it covered as the dough tends to dry quickly.
7. Divide the dough into 2 or 3 portions.  Take one portion and divide this into small lemon-sized balls while the remaining dough is kept covered.
8. Heat oil in a kadai for frying.
9. Flatten each ball on to a plastic sheet with your fingers.  

10. Carefully remove them one by one and fry on both sides until crisp and the hissing sound of the oil stops.     
11. Remove them on to an absorbent paper and store in containers when cool.  

Adai - Lentils and Rice Dosa

Adai a protein-rich, spicy breakfast dish of Tamil Nadu made of dals and rice.

Ingredients:

1 cup raw rice
1/4 cup tur dal
1/4 cup moong dal
1/4 cup channa dal
1/4 cup urad dal
(handful of whole moong and kabuli channa - brown or white variety, can also be added)
4 to 5 dry red chillies
A small piece of ginger
3 green chillies
1/4 tsp asofoetida
Curry leaves
1/2 tsp of mustard seeds
Salt to taste
Oil

Method:

1.  Wash and soak the rice and all the dals in water overnight.  Drain and grind along with red chillies, ginger, and 2 green chillies into a fairly coarse batter by adding water as necessary.  Keep aside.

2. In a small kadai, heat oil, add the mustard seeds.
3. When it starts to splutter, add 1 finely chopped green chilli and curry leaves.

4.  Pour this into the batter.  Add salt and asofoetida and mix well.

5.  Heat a dosa tawa, pour ladleful of batter and spread it in a circle as done for a dosa.  Pour some oil over this.  When lightly brown, flip over and pour some more oil and cook until the adai becomes golden brown.  

6. Remove on to a plate and serve hot with coconut chutney, or mulagapodi, or salted butter (Amul).
7. Prepare more adais from the remaining batter.    

Chole Bhature (Chola Bhatura)

Bhatura is a North Indian, deep-fried bread made of refined flour.  Chole or Channa Masala is usually served with the Bhaturas.  Chole is a spicy curry made of white chickpeas.  Channa Masala is a variant of Chole.  

Bhatura

Ingredients:

2 cups refined flour
1/2 cup curd
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp soda bicarb
2 tbsp oil
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Method:

1. Take curd and add salt and sugar and mix together and keep aside.
2. In a wide bowl take the flour, baking powder, soda bicarb, add to this the curd mix.
3. Gradually add water and knead into a soft dough.
4. Add the oil to the dough and fold lightly and keep covered for 2 hours until it doubles in volume.
5. Beat dough lightly and knead again and divide into small balls.
6. Heat oil in a kadai.
6. Roll out each ball into roundels or in an oblong shape and deep fry on both sides and remove on to an absorbent paper.  Serve hot with chole or channa masala.

Chole

Ingredients:

1 cup kabuli channa, soaked overnight
1 onion, chopped finely
1 tbsp ginger-garlic coarsely ground
1 tsp cumin
1 tea bag (or tea leaves tied in muslin cloth)
Oil
Salt to taste
1 bay leaf
Chopped coriander leaves
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Spices - 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 2 tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp amchur powder, 2 tsp coriander powder, 2 tsp cumin powder, 2 tsp chole masala

Method:

1. Pressure cook channa along with the tea bag and bay leaf until channa is soft and well-cooked.
2. Take oil in a kadai, add the cumin seeds.
3.  Add the ginger-garlic paste once the cumin splutters and saute for a minute.
4. Add chopped onions and saute until translucent.
5. Put all the spices and saute for 2 minutes and add little water to prevent burning of the spices.
6. Remove channa from the cooker and slightly mash with back of spoon, add this to the kadai.
7. Cook for 10 minutes on low flame until all the spices are blended into the channa.
8. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
9. Squeeze some lemon juice.
10. Serve with bhaturas.