Stock up savouries for Diwali

Rice flour/idiyappam flour: 2 cups 

Urad dal flour: 2 tbsp 

Pottu kadalai flour: 2 tbsp 

Asafoetida: 1/4 tsp 

Red chilli powder: 1 tsp 

Channa dal and urad dal: 1 tbsp each 

Salt and water: as needed 

Sesame seeds: 1 tbsp 

Butter: 2 tbsp 

Oil: for deep frying 

METHOD 

Roast urad dal until nice aroma emanates and then cool down, grind to a fine powder. Sieve it and use for snack items that require urad dal flour. 

Soak channa dal and urad dal for 1 hr. Mix rice flour, urad dal and fried gram dal ( pottu kadalai ) flour, asafoetida, red chilli powder, salt, softened butter, sesame seeds and the soaked dals well. Add water little by little to make a smooth and non-sticky dough. Keep covered. 

Make equal sized balls (gooseberry sized) and keep them covered. Take two zip lock covers, grease them with few drops of oil. Keep one ball at a time and put the other greased cover over it and use a flat bottomed bowl to press it. You can do this with your fingers as well. I do this way to get a good shape and also makes the job easier. 

After flattening with the bowl, it is a must to flatten with your fingers to make it thin and even. Carefully take off from zip lock cover by inverting it on one hand and drop it into hot oil. Cook in medium flame. 

Flip and cook until the bubbles completely cease. After the bubbles stop, cook for 1 more minute in medium – low flame to ensure it’s evenly cooked. Drain in paper towels. Go one by one and finish all the dough. Cool them down.

NOTES 

If you want to add peanuts, add roasted ones and 3 – 4 tbsp for this recipe. You can skip adding soaked urad dal. 

Adding curry leaves also enhances the taste. You can also add grated coconut — 2 tbsp for this recipe.  

If you have no pottu kadalai flour, you can skip it too. 

Butter can be replaced with oil.  

You can prick the thattais here and there before frying, with a toothpick if you feel it’s not cooked evenly. 

The channa dal and urad dal add punch to the thattais, but soaking is very important. 

When you drop the thattai, the oil should be really hot. While cooking, do it in medium-low flame. It’s important to cook the thattais a minute even after the bubbles stop. Otherwise they won’t get cooked evenly.

INGREDIENTS 

Rice flour/ idiyappam flour: 1 cup 

Cashew nuts: 15 

Asafoetida / hing / perungayam : 1 generous pinch 

Sesame seeds: 1 & 1/2 tsp 

Salt: As needed 

Ghee / melted butter: 1 tsp (optional) 

Oil: For deep frying

METHOD 

Grind cashew nuts with little water, smoothly. There shouldn’t be any cashew bits seen. 

Place the rice flour, salt, asafoetida, sesame seeds and ghee in a mixing bowl. Add the ground cashew to it. Add enough water little by little and make a smooth dough without any cracks. It should not be sticky either. 

Take a single-holed star or clover shaped plate in the murukku press. Fill the press with dough. 

Press into small coils/ circles as shown in the picture. You can press in greased ladles (you may need a lot) or greased back of a plate, or even greased small flat plates. Heat oil in a kadai and when hot, drop these tiny murukkus carefully into the pan. You can slide each one slowly along the sides of the kadai. Cook in medium flame. Turn the murukku in between and cook until bubbles in the oil cease. Drain in paper towels and repeat to finish the dough.

NOTES 

You can also try adding few almonds, reducing the cashews. 10 cashews and 5 soaked and peeled almonds. It comes out good. 

You can do the same with any plate in the press – star or the regular thenkuzhal press.

INGREDIENTS 

Aval /flattened rice: 1 ½ cups 

Raw peanuts: ¼ cup 

Cashew nuts: 20 nos 

Curry leaves: A handful 

Chilli powder: ¾ tsp 

Turmeric powder: ½ tsp 

Salt to taste 

Oil for deep frying

METHOD 

Heat oil in a kadai. Add the curry leaves, deep fry them, drain the oil, and shift the curry leaves to a plate.

Add the raw peanuts, deep fry them, drain the oil and shift it to another plate.

Add the cashew nuts, deep fry until they turn golden brown, drain the oil and shift it to a plate. 

Add the aval/flattened rice in a steel colander, dip them in oil and deep fry until they become crispy. Drain the oil and shift it to a plate.

Take a wide-mouthed bowl and add all the fried ingredients. Sprinkle salt, chilli powder and turmeric powder and mix them well with a spoon. 

Store it in an air-tight container once it comes to room temperature. Consume with 4 to 5 days.

INGREDIENTS 

Besan flour: 1 cup 

Rice flour: ¼ cup 

Butter: 1 tbsp 

Ajwain / omam /carom seeds: 1 tsp 

Salt to taste 

Oil: For frying

PREPARATION 

Dry roast ajwain for 2 mins. Boil 3 tbsp of water in a bowl and put the ajwain into it and set aside or a while. After a few mins, you can see the colour of the water change and a very good aroma. Drain the water and keep it aside.

Sieve besan flour and rice flour. 

Take the besan flour, rice flour, hot oil, butter and salt in a mixing bowl and mix it well. 

Heat oil in a kadai for deep frying. 

Now pour in the ajwain water little by little and mix the flour. Then add water little by little to form a soft sticky dough.

Now take your sev press and fill to the ¾ th portion and then select the correct mould and rub oil on the sides of the mould. 

Check whether the oil is hot and continue pressing it into the oil. Cook till the bubbles cease in the oil. Repeat this process for the rest of the dough also. 

Drain it in tissue paper, bring to room temperature and then store it in an air tight container. 

When stored in an air tight container it remains fresh for a week. It is also a perfect tea time snack.