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Diwali is just around the corner, which means that it is time for the guests to start flowing into our homes. This also means that now is the time to start making the munchies and snacks to serve the guests. And one of these snacks is Chakli. These crunchy circular snacks hold a ton of flavours and textures. It is a snack that is a star on its own and doesn’t need an accompaniment to be awesome. While the classic bhajani or butter chakli are still the most popular ones, you can prepare these delicious spirals in a number of ways. Whichever one you decide to make, you need to keep in mind some tips, if you wish to master the art of chakli making. Here are a few that you must follow to get it perfect every time you roll it out.

When adding butter or ghee, keep it warm

Apart from the taste, we love the crunch that we get while eating the chakli. It is this satisfying crumble that is not too hard or too soft. The way the chakli breaks and disintegrates into the mouth is as important as the taste. The secret to perfect this lies in the fat that goes into the dough. To get the perfect crunch, the fat that you’re adding to the dough needs to be warm.

This could either be ghee, butter or oil, but the fat must be added hot into the dough. This is to ensure a homogenous mix of the flour and other spices. Adding room temperature or cold fat will not give us the desired results.

Add ajwain and sesame for more crunch and flavour

Adding ingredients like sesame seeds and ajwain seeds to the dough will not only bring in the rich flavour, but also add to the texture of the chakli making it crunchier. Also ajwain aids in digestion which is an added bonus.

Cover raw chakli with wet cloth

When you’re all set to fry the chakli, make sure that the remaining dough isn’t left out in the open. Keep it covered with a wet muslin cloth. This will prevent the dough from drying out and result in an evenly fried chakli.

Fry the right way

Always fry the chakli on medium-high heat. The chakli batter is dense, and we want even the insides of the batter to get evenly cooked. If you’ll fry it on high heat, the insides might remain undercooked and when you take them out will feel soft while eating, which isn’t great. Frying on medium-high heat will help it cook evenly and give you the desirable crunch.

As for chakli recipes

Here is where you will find them!