I wanted to share a Diwali savory snack with you very quickly. So no useless talk this time but a quick and easy recipe for Thattai. I made this when my in-laws were visiting and Amma gave me the recipe for thattai verbally. I was quite intrigued, I have only ever eaten thattai and never made them at home. I knew they couldn't be too complicated since my periamma regularly makes thattai at home, especially during Diwali. Her version is much bitter and has more "bubbles" on the surface. Mine didn't have any and I was a bit worried soon after frying them but thankfully the thattai came out just fine and stayed well for 4 days, before which we polished them off.
THATTAI RECIPE
Makes ~20 small thattai
Ingredients:
Rice flour - 4 cups
Urad dal - 1/2 cup, ground to fine powder
Chana dal - 2 tbsp (I didn't use them since didn't have any)
Butter - 1/3 cup
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Sesame seeds (ellu) - 2 tbsp
Curry leaves - a few, each cut into two
Salt - to taste
Water - about 1. 5 cups
Oil - for deep frying
How to Make Thattai
1. Mix all the ingredients and make a thick dough adding very little water at a time.
2. Divide and shape into marble-sized balls. Normally, the store bought ones are bigger but I made them small so that I can use less oil while frying.
3. Dampen fingers and gently the flatten the dough on a plastic sheet (I cut up the plastic bag in which I got the urad dal), to get a uniform disc of about 0.5cm thickness.
4. Prick the discs lightly with a fork (to prevent puffing up) and deep fry till golden brown.
Tastes awesome with some hot tea on Diwali, while chatting around the family coffee table with family :)
Thattai can be stored in an air tight container for upto a week. Just wait until completely cooled before storing it away.
