Purnanna Australia
A taste of nutrition
Bhajani Chakli Recipe
A traditional Maharashtrian chakli made using chakli bhajani flour. Perfect for Diwali and festive snacks.
Ingredients
2 cups
Sesame Seeds
1 tbsp
Carom Seeds (Ajwain)
1 tsp
Red Chilli Powder
1 tsp
Salt
1 tsp
Hot Oil or Ghee for moyan/binding
1-1.5 tbsp
Hot Boiling Water
0.5-0.75 cup approximately
Oil for frying
1 cup
Instructions
Mix chakli bhajani flour, sesame seeds, ajwain, chilli powder, and salt in a bowl.
Add oil/ghee into the flour and mix with your fingers until it becomes crumbly. If you want really nice crispy version, use ghee. Butter can be substituted for different version. The flour should be crumbly after this.
Add boiling hot water slowly & mix. Add water a little bit at a time. Remember, different flours will need different amounts of liquid to make a soft dough. We found that home-milled flour needed little more water than the instant chakli flour. But key is to add boiling water slowly.
Cover and keep aside 10 minutes. Knead it into dough. Taste the dough to make sure the salt and spice are to your taste. Adjust the spices if required.
The dough should be thick and consistent (like puri dough). If it feels dry, add a little hot or lukewarm water (your choice) and knead again. Test the dough by pressing with your fingers → there should be no cracks. If cracks appear, add a little more water and knead until smooth.
Make Chakali with chakali maker. Grease the inside lightly with oil so the dough doesn’t stick. Wet your hands slightly before filling the dough into the chakali maker. This helps in smooth handling.
Press the dough gently through the chakali maker onto parchment paper or directly into medohum hot oil. Form 3–4 spirals for each chakali. Make sure to secure the end to the outermost circle so the chakli will stay together.
Heat oil on medium flame. Gently slide chakalis into the oil and fry until golden brown and crisp. Drain on a paper towel and cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Make sure the oil is hot enough before adding the chakli. This will prevent the chaklis from dissolving or breaking in the oil.Make sure each batch takes about 5 to 6 minutes, and fry them slowly so they stay crispy for weeks.
Pro Tips
Temperature Matters
• Fry the chakali at medium heat. Too high a temperature can burn the chakali on the outside while leaving the inside undercooked.
• If the oil is too cool, the chakali will absorb more oil, making them greasy. Sometimes they can break/dissolve in that oil.
• Adding room temperature chakli to hot oil makes the oil cooler. So make sure you have high heat when adding chakli.Wait for a minute as the chakli starts to harden and then turn over. Then remember to lower the heat and continue frying at medium-low heat.
Check Dough Consistency
• The dough should be firm yet pliable. If it’s too stiff, the chakali will crack while shaping. If it’s too soft, it will lose its spiral shape during frying.
• Chakali breaks while pressing → dough too dry (add water)
• chakali turns hard → dough too stiff (add a bit more hot oil/ghee)
Don’t Skip the Oil Step
• For crispy (khuskhushit) chakli: always make sure you add normal oil/ghee while kneading.
• For crunchy (kurkurit) Adding hot oil or ghee to the dough mixture before kneading is crucial.
• This process, called moyan, ensures the chakali fries up crispy rather than hard or chewy.
Keep the Dough Covered
• While shaping the chakali, keep the remaining dough covered with a damp cloth to prevent it from drying out, which can make it harder to shape.
Test Fry
• Always test fry a small piece of dough to check the oil temperature and dough consistency. This will allow you to make adjustments before frying the full batch.
Purnanna Australia
Taste of Nutrition.
Bringing authentic Maharashtrian flavours to Australia.