Chakli facts for kids
Chakli
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| Alternative names | Chakali, Chakli, Chakkuli |
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| Type | Fried dough |
| Course | Snack |
| Place of origin | Maharashtra and Karnataka, India |
| Main ingredients | Rice flour, bengal gram flour, black gram flour, water, salt |
| Variations | Murukku |
Chakli is a super tasty and crunchy snack from India. It's shaped like a spiral, almost like a coil, and has a cool bumpy surface. People in India love to eat it, especially during festivals like Diwali.
This yummy snack is usually made from different kinds of flour. The main ones are rice flour, bengal gram (which is a type of chickpea), and black gram (also known as urad daal). Sometimes, other flours are used too, which makes different kinds of chakli.
Did you know Chakli is also popular in South Africa? Indians who moved there brought this snack with them. In South Africa, they often use corn flour instead of rice flour. You can find it sold by street vendors and in local shops.
Contents
What is Chakli?
Chakli is a savory snack, meaning it's salty and spicy, not sweet. It's a popular treat in India and other places. It has a unique spiral shape and a crunchy texture.
A similar snack called Murukku is also very popular. It's made in a similar way but usually doesn't use bengal gram flour. Sometimes, people even call Murukku by the name "chakli."
Different Names for Chakli
This delicious snack has many names across different parts of India!
- In Marathi, it's called chakali.
- In Odia, it's Dantkali.
- In Tamil, it's known as murukku.
- In Gujarati, people call it chakri.
- In Telugu, it's either chakralu or jantikalu.
- In Kannada, it's called chakkuli.
Another snack called Kadboli is quite similar to Chakli. The main difference is that Kadboli is shaped by hand. Chakli, on the other hand, is usually made using a special tool.
How Chakli is Made
Making Chakli involves mixing different flours and spices.
Main Ingredients
The main flours used are:
- Rice flour
- Bengal gram (chickpea) flour
- Black gram (urad dal) flour
Other tasty ingredients are added for flavor:
- Coriander seed powder
- Cumin seed (jeera) powder
- Sesame seeds
- Red pepper powder
- Turmeric powder
- Salt
- Asafoetida powder
- Oil
Sometimes, people use other flours like green gram (moong) or pigeon pea (tuar/arhar) instead of black gram. This creates different flavors and textures.
Making the Dough
First, all the flours and spice powders are mixed together. Then, boiling water is slowly added to this mix. This helps to create a soft, workable dough. The dough is then kneaded well, just like you would knead dough for bread.
Shaping and Frying
Once the dough is ready, it's time to shape the chakli!
- Using a Mould: The dough is put into a special mould. This mould has a star-shaped opening. When you press the mould, the dough comes out in a long, thin strand.
- Spiral Shape: This strand is then carefully shaped into the famous spiral or coil design.
- Frying: The shaped chakli pieces are then gently placed into hot oil. They are fried until they turn a beautiful golden-brown color and become super crispy.
- Cooling: After frying, the chakli is removed from the oil. It's drained to remove extra oil and then cooled down. Once cool, it's ready to be enjoyed!
In big food factories, special machines called chakli extruders are used. These machines help to shape many chaklis quickly and perfectly.
Images for kids
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Extruding a chakli
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Preparation of Chakri in hot oil
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Frying chakli
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Fully cooked chakli
