Crispy Kara Kaddi | Spicy Sev | Thikhat Sev

Last Updated on October 4, 2021 by Babita

Kara Kaddi is a savory snack that is mostly made during Diwali. It is a crispy noodle like snack made with chickpea flour and spices.

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Diwali is an exciting time for me because it brings back so many memories of shopping, eating, bursting firecrackers and off course my mom cooking up a storm of all sweet and savory delicacies.

In India, we have a tradition of making all kinds of sweets and treats and distributing it among our family and friends. The prep for this starts almost a week before Diwali depending upon how many snacks and treats you are planning to make.

Kara Kaddi is also known as Kharada Kaddi in Tulu and Thikhat Sev in Marathi. The literal meaning of Kara is spicy and Kaddi means stick. Visually I find it resembles a noodle more than a stick.

As the name implies Kara Kaddi is spicy, but what you may not realize is that it is a crispy, savory snack. It is easy to forget time once one starts to chomp on some of this. Some times Kara Kaddi is paired with hot tea as a tea time snack. Or if you are like me, then you can sprinkle some bits of it over your favorite curry or daal. The best thing about this recipe is it is easy and quick to make.

Check out the recipe below and let me know what you think. Enjoy

Ingredients for Kara Kaddi | Spicy Sev | Khara Sevn

2 cups of chickpea flour (Besan)
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp Ajwain/Owa (Ajowan caraway)
1/4 tsp Asafoetida (Hing)
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp oil
Water for kneading the dough
Vegetable oil for frying

Preparations for Kara Kaddi

• Dry Roast cumin, ajwain and grind them to a fine powder in a small coffee/spice grinder.
• In a big mixing bowl combine chickpea flour, chili powder, turmeric, asafoetida, salt, cumin and ajwain powder and mix them together.
• Add about 1/2 cup of water and knead it to a dough. Add oil and knead it some more. Cover it with a moist paper towel and set it aside for 10 minutes.

The most important kitchen gadget required for Kara Kaddi recipe is what I call the chakli press. It is a pre-fabricated gadget which comes with 3 to 4 types of removable plates. Each plate has a shape indented/cutout on it, similar to cookies presses. The plate that I am using for this particular recipe is indented with medium size holes. See image below:

• Open the press, place the indented plate inside. Apply oil on both the plate as well as the inside of the press.
• Take a handful of dough and place it inside the chakli press. Close the lid and twist down the handle until it presses on the dough inside. (See Video below at the bottom of the post).

In a deep frying pan or kadhai heat oil. Once the oil has heated, hold the press over the pan. Turn the handle of the press clockwise until it presses out strands of dough into the hot oil.

• Fry these strands until they are golden brown.
• Remove from oil and set aside.
• Once cooled store it in an airtight container or Ziploc bag.

You can serve it whole or broken up. I personally love to break it up and enjoy listen to the noise it makes. I have to say it resembles noodles but the taste is completely different and texture is crispy. Have it with hot tea or with your favorite curry.