Chekkalu Recipe

These crispy crunchy Chekkalu are delicious, addictive and will bring back your childhood memories. Known by various names like Pappu Chekkalu or Pappu Billalu, these are spicy rice crackers from Andhra and Telangana cuisines. These are a festive staple in the Telugu speaking homes. In this post I share the step by step recipe to make traditional rice crackers at home.

Rice crackers are a popular traditional tea-time and any time snack from South India. There are many different kinds and made in different shapes. Murukku (chakralu), Butter Murukku, Chegodilu, Chakli and Jantikalu are some popular varieties.

About Chekkalu

Chekkalu are disc shaped deep fried rice crackers made with rice flour, ginger, curry leaves, cumin seeds, chilies and chana dal (Bengal gram). There are variations of these and made in the neighboring states. The Karnataka style crackers are known as Nippattu and the Tamil style crackers go by the name Thattai.

While the Andhra and Tamil versions use chana dal, the Karnataka version uses peanuts. Some versions also use moong dal (split skinned yellow lentils). You will also see some Rayalaseema variations with crushed peanuts. Though all these Chekkalu, Nippattu and Thattai are made on the same lines, each one taste different.

Traditionally these were made during the festivals like Sankranti, Dasara, Diwali and the most special occasion – school holidays! Festivals were incomplete without sharing these with neighbors, friends and families. If you are enthusiastic about this kind of snacks, you may check this collection of Diwali Snacks Recipes.

Growing up I would see my Mom make all these with fresh milled rice flour. Rice would be washed first, dried on a cloth and then milled as per the requirement. Times have changed and most of us are using store bought flour in the recent years.

Making Chekkalu at home is easy and does not involve any difficult steps but they do consume time. In the past, every family would make large batches of these. The usual practice is to take help from someone in the family or call a friend. While one person shapes the chekkalu, the other would fry. But in the modern times, it is apt to make smaller batches if you have no one to help you. This is how I make for my family.

Photo Guide

Step by step Photo Instructions

I have doubled the recipe (2x) so you will find the quantities more in the pictures.

1. Wash and soak chana dal for 30 mins. I washed and soaked in hot water for 10 mins.

2. Add rice flour to a mixing bowl. I used store bought fine rice flour. If using store bought please use a Indian brand rice flour as the texture of chekkalu will be different.

3. Add chopped curry leaves, ginger paste, salt, red chili powder and cumin. I used ginger garlic paste.

4. Mix up everything well.

5. Drain the water from chana dal. Bring about 6 tbsps water to a boil and add butter to it. I used the same pan I used to soak chana dal.

6. The butter must melt completely in the hot water.

7. Pour this to the flour and add the chana dal too.

8. The mixture will be hot just be careful. Mix everything well with a spoon first and then with your hand.

9. Pour more warm to hot water as needed and make a non sticky dough without kneading. Don’t worry if it is crumbly. Taste the dough and add more salt if required.

10. Keep it covered until the entire dough is used up.

11. Pour oil to a kadai and begin to heat up on a medium flame. While the oil heats up, make chekkalu on a clean dry white cloth or parchment paper. Divide the dough to 14 to 15 parts and roll them to balls.

12. Begin to spread the balls. As you flatten the ball, the edges will crack a lot. Just join them with fingers. You can also dip your fingers in a bowl of water and spread.

Chekkalu must be as thin as possible else they will not turn crunchy. If you do not want them to puff, prick randomly each one with a fork. If there is less chana dal in the dough then they are most likely to puff. Puffed chekkalu must be fried well else they may turn soft.

13. Test if the oil is hot enough – Drop a small flat piece of dough. It should sizzle and come up immediately without turning brown. This is the right temperature.

14. Regulate the flame to medium high and make sure the oil is hot (not smoking). Remove the chekkalu gently from the cloth and slide in to the oil. You can add as many as your pan fits but do not overcrowd. Avoid touching for a minute or 2.

15. Fry them until crisp and golden. Remove them using a spider.

16. Transfer to a cooling rack or a wide colander. This helps the air to circulate. They will keep crisp and cool them quickly.

Cool chekkalu completely. Store in a air tight jar as soon as they cool. Exposing them to cold air can make them softer.

Expert Tips

1. Always make them as thin as possible else they will not remain crisp for long. After a day or 2 they may turn chewy and soft.
2. Fry chekkalu on a medium high heat. Frying them on a low heat can make them rock hard (if fried for too long). They may also turn soft with in a day or 2 if they are not fried enough.
3. Always ensure the oil is hot enough before frying. Else chekkalu tend to soak up lot of oil and will not keep crisp for long.

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