Now, let me get back to the recipe. I never knew we could make chaklis with cooked daal of any kind. So when I got this recipe from Aayi, I was a bit hesitant to try it. I tried it day before yesterday. They came out so well that we finished more than half of them in two days, I mean one and quarter day 😉 (looking at the speed by which they were getting over, the remaining chaklis were confiscated from me by my home minister :D).
Ingredients: Moong daal(yellow) ½ cup Maida(or all purpose flour) 2 cups Sesame seeds(white til) 1 tea spn Cumin seeds(jeera) 1 tea spn Salt
Method: Cook the moong daal till soft(preferably use pressure cooker). Mash them with a spoon. Take the maida(or all purpose flour) in a cloth and tie a knot(I used the parchment paper, since I don’t like using old cloths for cooking and I was not having a separate cloth for this purpose). Keep the flour bundle in a cooker vessel and steam it(without putting the weight) for around 10mins.
Cool the bundle and daal to room temperature. Take out the flour from the bundle, add mashed daal, cumin, sesame seeds and salt.
Mix into a dough(no need to add water, make the dough with the mashed daal).
Fill the dough in a chakli press and press into chakli shape on a flat board (use a plastic paper on the board to make it easier to lift the chaklis). If the chaklis break, knead the dough well before pressing them.
Heat oil. Lift the chaklis carefully from the paper/board(I used the cover of rice flour pack) and leave them in oil. (at any stage, chaklis should not break). Fry them on a medium flame. Take out on a clean kitchen towel.
When the chaklis are cooled to room temperature, store them in an airtight container.
Preparation time: 45-60mins
Note: These chaklis do not remain good for long. So finish them within 4-5 days.
Updated on 16th Oct 2006 I recently saw a moong daal chukli with rice flour in it. I have not tried it. But since rice flour is more healthier than maida, you can give it a try. Skip the steaming of flour part (I mean use the flour as it is).
Today’s lunchbox is Potato biryani and fruits(apple and grapes). Daily I used to add honey to fruits and send in lunch box. But the honey used to become watery and lost its taste. So I gave the whole bottle of honey, which will be kept in office hereafter. (Now I have an extra work of reminding to add honey daily at lunch time :)).
Today my camera was acting strange. I tried my best to take good pictures, but failed. I followed the traditional method of cooking biryani, took pictures of each step. I am planing to write a post on “How to make good biryani”. I must admit, it took a very long time to finish cooking and taking pictures :(.
