Ingredients
Rice flour - 1 cup
Urad flour - 1/8 cup
Butter - 2 tbsp
Red Chili powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Hing / Asaofetida - 1/8 tsp
Curry leaves - 10
Whole chana dhal / Kadalai parupu - 1 tbsp
White Sesame seeds/Ellu/Theel - 1/2 tbsp
Water - 1 - 1 1/4 cup
For grinding
Red chili - 2
Curry leaves - 4
Pottukadalai / Roasted Bengal gram powder - 3/4 tbsp
Water - 1/8 tbsp
Soaking and Grinding
Soak 1 tbsp of whole chana dhal
Grind Red Chili, curry leaves coarsely, then add the pottukadalai /Roasted Bengal gram powder and grind for 10-15 seconds. Add water if needed. I usually make the pottukadalai powder in large quantity and store it. If you donot have the pottukadalai powder already then grind around 1-1/2 tsp of pottukadalai, measure and then grind it with the other ingredients.
Kneading
In a large bowl, add 1 cup of rice flour, 1/8 cup of urad flour, salt, 1/4 tsp of red chili
powder,1/8 tsp of hing and mix it well. Add 2 tbsp of butter and blend it nicely with the flour. Now add finely chopped curry leaves, 1/2 tbsp of white sesame seeds, soaked chana dhal, mix it well. Add the ground paste,mix and gradually add water to knead it in to a dough(like chappati dough). Wrap it with the kitchen towel/napkin or a piece of cotton cloth and let it rest for 10
minutes. Knead it well so that the dough is soft and there is not air locked in it.
Frying
In a kadai, heat oil. You might need around 2 cup of oil for a medium sized kadai. Take a plastic bag or Ziploc bag. Cut it so that you have larger surface. Divide the dough and make small balls (size of a pony ball or little bigger than the size of an Indian amla/gooseberry/periya nellikkai). Place it on the plastic bag, grease your fingers with oil and spread it in to a circle of 3-4 cm in diameter. Ensure that it isn't too thick nor too thin. Smoothen the circumference as you spr
ead.
On a medium low flame (American gas stove : knob level 3), slowly drop it in the oil and fry. Flip when it gets little hardened (this will take atleast 30 seconds) and let the other side fry. Repeat flipping until the thattai turns golden brown or it is crispy. Remove and place it on a kitchen towel/napkin and let the excess oil to be absorbed.
Serving
I served Thattais to Lord Krishna on his birthday (Janmashtami) and we ate those thin crispy patties(thattai) with with bise bella bath. It was a wonderful combination. It reminded me of Sri Krishna Sweets in chennai.
Please leave your comments, it could be positive or negative :-)). This would help me to improvise and encourage me to post more recipes. Do read the FAQ for common questions and issues that you might face while making thattai.
F.A.Q
Can I fry it in batches?
I fried two at a time as I had a small kadai at home. You can fry more than 2 depending on the size of your kadai. Do not overcrowd.
Does thattai break while frying?
You might be trying to flip it as soon as you drop it in the oil or your dough is not set properly. Even lots of butter could be a culprit.
Does thattai puff up/Swell?
If air is locked inside the dough, thattai will puff up while frying. To avoid, gently poke the thattai with fork (Check the image below) on either side before frying it in the oil. The air will escape through the pores and the result is beautiful thattais.
How do I know if Thattai is cooked?
When you drop it in the oil you will see lots of froth around it and huge crackling noise of oil. As the thattai gets fried, the crackling noise will reduce and you would see less froth around thattai. At this stage you can remove thattai from oil. If you are still unsure, fry 1 or two thattais, taste it. You can then figure out if it requires more frying, also this helps you to check if the salt and spice is ok for your family. This will save you from making saltless or soggy thattais.
Can I use home made Urad dhal flour or Rice flour?
Yes. Wash the rice and let it dry for a file on a piece of cloth. When it is almost dry put it in mixer and grind it to a fine powder. Sieve to remove any lumps in it.
Urad dhal flour can be prepared in the same manner but you should dry roast it before you grind them in your mixer. Amma usually goes to a flour mill to grind it.
