Nippattu | Thattai

Nippattu is a spicy and crunchy snack from South Indian cuisine.  This tea time snack is made from rice flour, peanuts, Bengal gram and chilies. 

The secret to this recipe is using thin and dry cotton cloth to flatten the dough. By using cloth; it absorbs excess water, reduces cooking time and the end product turns out to be extremely crispy. 

Ingredients

3 cups Rice flour

3/4 cup Peanuts
1/2 cup Dalia (roasted channa)

Handful of Green chilies

1 cups Bengal gram, soak in water for 3hours

1/4 tsp Asafoetida (hing)

1/2 cup Hot oil

Salt

Oil for frying

Method

• Roast rice flour in a pan for 5 minutes sauteing frequently without burning flour. Set aside

• Roast peanuts until brown. After it cools, remove the skin by rubbing peanuts between your palm. Then make a coarse powder of peanuts

• Make smooth paste of green chili by adding very little water

• Drain excess water from Bengal gram 

• Make smooth powder of Roasted channa (dalia)

                                                      

• Mix together roasted rice flour, powdered peanuts, green chili paste, soaked Bengal gram and season it with salt. Add hot oil and mix again

• Make a smooth and stiff dough by adding water. Divide the dough into 1 inch balls. Take a ball of dough and flatten it on a dry cloth. You can apply on your fingers to flatten the dough for non sticking purpose

• Heat oil for deep frying. When oil is ready for frying, gently drop the flattened dough  in oil. Fry evenly on both the sides until it stops bubbling

                          

• Use an absorbent paper to drain excess oil
• After it cools, store in an air tight container which can last to 2-3 weeks