Nachni Batata Chakli

Friday is here! Hope all is well in your world. I am back with a vegan gluten free snack. My Mom's Nachni Chakli recipe with potato and coconut milk. Fresh coconut milk is quite common in coastal Konkani cuisine. My childhood favorite Diwali snack. Now my 7 year old kiddo likes it. Hope you all love it too!

Ingredients:

Ragi/Nachni/Finger Millet Flour - 1 cup

Boiled Mashed Potato - about 1 cup

Besan/Chickpea Flour - 1/4 cup 

White Sesame Seeds/Til - 2 tsp

Carom Seeds/Ajwain/Owa - 1 tsp

Kashmiri Lal/Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp

Ground Black Pepper - 1/2 tsp

Light Brown Sugar - 1 tsp

Coconut Milk - about 1/4 cup

Olive Oil - 2 tsp

Salt

How to cook Nachni Batata Chakli:

• In a big mixing bowl, add ragi flour, besan, peeled mashed potato, sesame seeds, carom seeds, black pepper powder, chili powder, sugar and salt. Mix well. Now add coconut milk, little at a time and knead to make a soft, non sticky dough. Lastly, add oil and knead again for few seconds. Cover the bowl with plastic food wrap and let it rest for 15 - 20 minutes.

• Kashmiri Lal adds more color and not heat.Paprika is a good alternative for Kashmiri Lal. My Mom always made chakli with fresh coconut milk. I like that flavor in chakli. I have used store bought coconut milk. You can use water instead of coconut milk.
• Heat oil for deep frying.  
• Divide the dough into 2 or 3 balls, depending on how big or small your Chakli Maker is. Grease the inner part of the chakli maker with oil. Place the star shaped plate and put one dough ball. Close the lid.

• When oil turns medium hot, hold the chakli maker above the frying pan. Carefully turn the handle so that the star shaped dough falls in the frying pan.
• Alternatively, you can make round chakli/murukku on a parchment paper and slide it carefully to the medium hot oil.
• Deep fry chakli until color changes slightly on both sides. Remove chakli when bubbling of oil stops.

• Taste fried chakli for salt and other seasonings. Repeat the same for other dough balls and deep fry them in batches. Let the chakli cool down completely before storing in an airtight container.

Binge on vegan healthy homemade Ragi Aloo Murukku!