Baked Chakli

My favorite, and who does not love this crisp snack! Chakli or Chakri, as the name describes is a  swirl or pinwheel, a crisp, deep fried snack. I remember, my sister and I would munch on these while my mom made these fresh chaklis . More than half of it would be gone before storing in an airtight container :) Fun and memorable moments!

Deep fried chaklis cause an extreme guilt feeling. But, these baked ones are delicious and great for afternoon tea time snack. By simply making minor changes in eating habits, I am not sacrificing the delicious taste of this snack.

Here is the basic recipe my mom uses to make chaklis.

3 cups rice flour.

2 tbsp. sesame seeds or til.

2 tbsp. whole cumin or jeera.

1 1/2 tbsp. salt.

2 tbsp. chilli powder. (or to taste)

My mom would use 3 tbsp. of ghee/clarified butter.

I used 2 tbsp. olive oil.

A cup of low fat yogurt.

Mix all the ingredients well with your palm. Make a soft dough by gradually adding water. 

I used about 1 1/2  cup of water to form a soft dough. 

Knead the dough well and let it rest for 10-15 minutes.

Here is my chakli press: a star shaped opening in a press to produce a great crisp texture.

Divide the dough into small portions to fill in the press.

Put the lid on and you are ready to press.

Lightly brush or spray some oil on the baking tray. Make swirls as you press the dough out of the disk.

You could deep fry these in hot oil.

OR

Spray some oil and

Bake in a 375F pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes or till they turn golden brown.

Couldn't wait to grab one from the oven! :)

While storing them in an airtight container, I also filled the snack bags for Snehanshu and me to take to work!

I don't think I am missing deep fried Chaklis, and these are fresh and way better than store bought ones!
Sprinkle Chat Masala, Garlic powder, Onions powder or Fresh herbs of your choice to create new flavors.

Happy Healthy Eating!!

Action Packed Crisps

Interesting name isn't it? Snehanshu named these crisps Action Packed, as there was lots of action going on in my kitchen while preparing them; collecting ingredients, running to my garden, looking for various seeds, variety of flours :)

But, this was a very easy recipe, made a big batch for snacking. Ingredients in this recipe are optional. Use the ones you have at home, or the ones of your choice. Do not shy off from experimenting.

Here are fresh ingredients to paste; mint leaves from my garden, green chillies and garlic. Paste these with 1/4 cup of water.

Mix 2 cups of whole wheat flour and 1/4 cup soy flour (a great source of protein for vegetarians).

Around 2 tbsp of kalonji or nigella seeds.

Salt.

Around 2 tbsp. til or sesame seeds.

 

Add 1/2 cup low fat yogurt.

Mix ingredients well and pour mint paste in it. Gradually add bit of water to form a soft dough.

Let the dough rest for 15-20 minutes.

Divide the dough into 10 equal parts.

Dust the dough, surface and rolling pin and roll to form a thin bread.

Divide into equal parts, prick with a fork and place on a greased tray. Spray some oil and sprinkle red chilli powder. Bake in 375 F preheated  over for 15 minutes or till they turn golden brown and crisp.

 

Serve with your favorite Dip or Chutney!