Last Updated on December 14, 2021 by Babita
Chakli (pronounced: chak–lee) is a crispy and savory snack. It is a popular snack in India and part of the Diwali platter of sweets and treats.
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About the Recipe
I learned this recipe for chakli from my mom. She makes chakli once a year during Diwali and as kids, we couldn’t wait to get our hands on it. Now history is repeating itself. I am going through the same cycle with my girls and enjoying it. I am glad that this inherited recipe will be a part of my girls’ childhood memories, and hopefully, they will someday want to make it.
There are many different recipes for chakli with many ingredient variations. This particular recipe is for rice flour chakli. This chakli is an authentic South Indian-style recipe that makes soft, crispy chaklis with a balanced salty, savory taste.
Other Names for Chakli
Chakli is also known as Chakuli in Tulu and Murukku in some of the Southern states of India. Chakli is the common word in Hindi as well as Marathi.
Ingredients For Chakli:
1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (maida)
1/4 cup urad daal (split black gram lentil)
3 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp salt or as per taste
1 tbsp sesame seeds (optional)
2 tbsp of vegetable oil or ghee (kneading)
vegetable oil for frying
How to Make Chakli | Chakuli | Murukku
- Roast urad daal on a pan until light brown. Set aside. Allow it to cool, and then grind it to a fine powder in a coffee grinder.
- Wrap up all-purpose flour in a clean cotton fabric and steam it either in a steamer or a pressure cooker for around 15 minutes. Allow it to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine rice flour, ground urad daal, all-purpose flour, cumin powder, salt, sesame seeds and oil.
- Knead it well with water into a medium soft dough.
- Allow the dough to rest for 15 minutes.
How to Form the Chaklis
- Stuff a handful of dough into the chakli press and move it around in circles (check out the video below). Form the chakli on a paper towel. It will be easier to pick it up.
- Heat oil and gently add 3-4 chaklis. Deep fry them until brown.
- Remove and drain it on a paper towel.
- Store it in an air-tight container.
Useful suggestions:
- Whole urad daal is black in color, that is why it is named black gram. After it is split and polished it retains its white color. This lentil is commonly available in all Indian stores.
- You can find rice flour in most Indian stores or Amazon
One of the reasons the chakli is not crispy is because it lacks moisture. When kneading the dough you have to remember to add enough water and oil to form a soft dough.
The chaklis break because the dough is soft and is not able to hold its shape. That is why it is necessary to follow the proportions of the ingredients correctly.
The best place to find ingredients for chakli is at the Indian stores. If you don’t have Indian stores near you, you can check out Amazon or your local Walmart.
How to make Rice Flour Chakli Crispy and Crunchy
Chakli is a crispy and savory snack made with rice flour. It is a popular snack in India and part of the Diwali platter of sweets and treats.
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice flour
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (maida)
- 1/4 cup urad daal (split black gram lentil)
- 3 tsp cumin powder
- 2 tsp salt or as per taste
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds (optional)
- 2 tbsp of vegetable oil or ghee (kneading)
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Roast urad daal on a pan until light brown. Set aside. Allow it to cool, and then grind it to a fine powder in a coffee grinder.
- Wrap up all-purpose flour in a clean cotton fabric and steam it either in a steamer or a pressure cooker for around 15 minutes. Allow it to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine rice flour, ground urad daal, all-purpose flour, cumin powder, salt, sesame seeds and oil.
- Knead it well with water into a medium soft dough.
- Allow the dough to rest for 15 minutes.
How to Form the Chaklis
- Stuff a handful of dough into the chakli press and move it around in circles (check out the video below) to form the chakli on a paper towel. It will be easier to pick it up.
- Heat oil and gently add 3-4 chaklis. Deep fry them until brown.
- Remove and drain it on a paper towel.
- Store it in an air-tight container.
Nutrition Information
Yield 30 Serving Size 2Amount Per Serving Calories 43Total Fat 2gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 1mgSodium 159mgCarbohydrates 5gFiber 0gSugar 0gProtein 1g
BabsProjects.com provides nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although BabsProjects.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, please remember these are estimates only.
This recipe for rice flour chakli is one of the easiest recipes you can make. Not only is it easy, but it is also fail-proof and will turn out crispy, crunchy, and yummy every single time. Make sure to check out the video in the recipe card for the steps. If you tried this recipe, let me know in the comments below, and don’t forget to rate the recipe.
Snapshots of Diwali Celebrations 2013
These sound tasty! I have never made anything like this but would like to give it a try.
Now this looks interesting. I never heard of it before!
How interesting, I’ve never heard nor seen these before. They look easy to make as well I may try them!
my kids helped my mother in law make these for diwali this year. oh my, when they’re still warm they almost melt in your mouth… 🙂
These look good…I know my sister would love these as she loves Indian food.
I have never heard of these and it looks like a lot of work. Plus ingredients I can’t find here. But I would love to try them and will look for them on the menu at our Indian restaurant.
Looks tasty i have never heard of these before but i also think it is so nice that you can pass down a recipe through the generations.
I’ve never heard of these before. I wonder if I make them if the kids would like them. I have very picky kids who hate trying new stuff but it sounds delicious.
These are new to me but I would very much like to try one, and I think it’d be fun to make them too!
These look really good and I think they are a treat that my boys would really enjoy. I love learning about the foods and customs of other cultures.
This sounds like a lot of work but if it tastes amazing, it is worth it!
Oh my goodness! I could totally eat this all day long! it sounds amazing!
I loved how unique to your culture this recipe was! Thank you for sharing with us! 🙂
I have never heard of this before but it looks amazing! I will have to try this out, it sounds great!
Never heard of them. They look like they would be a great snack. I love finding new food to try!
Thanks Terry. I wanted to involve my daughter, so I asked her to be the narrator..:)
Those look really good and you did a great job on the video. I have a video I am working on where I have to talk myself because my Hubs is out of town.
Very interesting! I’ve never heard of these! They sound pretty yummy though!
Isn’t the coffee grinder the best for mixing things? We have a chopper but I put things in the coffee grinder all of the time, lol (because it’s small, fast, and right there on the counter). Thanks for sharing the recipe
I have always wondered how they made these. I cannot wait to try this out.
This looks so good! I LOVE to try tasty and different recipes, thank you for sharing!
these look really good! I have never had them but I would love to try them! I am putting Chakli on my to try list!
I have never heard of these before! One of my dearest friends is from India, and her parents actually used to run an Indian grocery store a few years back. I’m going to ask her if she used to have these as a snack when she was younger! 🙂 They look delicious; thank you for sharing a recipe to which I have never been exposed in the past. I’m excited to try these.
You would think some of the restaurants that are Middle Eastern would make and offer these. I have never heard of them, but would like to try them.
Great video you made.
Terry this is an Indian snack and it is not available in restaurants. You will however find this in all Indian stores in the snack aisle.
I’ve never heard of these, but they really do sound good. I suppose all good treats are worth the effort, though, right?