This is called Pachai Thenkuzhal which means half fried chakli which is a dashing treat for kids. But I hardly make it as I am too busy(lazy) to take the chakli maker, make the dough, fill it into the instrument and make it flow into the hot oil and take it half fried and serve. Yet all this is not as difficult as making the dry flour, the basic ingredient for the chakli which is a combination of rice and dhal in specific proportion. The dry flour is very dutifully handed over to me by my mom every now and then which I stock safely and assign her the task of using them while she visits us. Never do I ask her for this particular flour though she is an expert in making that. With such a story to narrate you would be surprised how I got to post this pic now!
How else would I have made it but accidentally?
Yes you read it right. I made it accidentally. As usual just now my son wanted something for a snack for the evening. All other options closed, I decided I would make kozhukattai for him, which is again I don't attempt often but not as scarce as the former. The flour for that is simple rice flour but we make it with the one which is used for making rice noodles (idiappam) which again stock given by mom. So I dug into my freezer and took out the flour, boiled water and put the flour and stirred, it beautifully clumped without lumps and changed color. Changing color is important but not so immediately as I put it in water. So the subconscious doubt that I had whether it was not the chakli flour came more certain. And the wonderful aroma it steamed out confirmed the doubt and I had cooked the chakli flour instead of the rice flour. Wondered how the color could be so unblemished white!
Switched off the stove, redialed my mom and told the error, what I thought and did what, checked if it would not change the flour's composition much so that I could still make the half fried chakli out of it. I had to decide to do that in haste now, lest I should leave my son hungry yet more time and waste the effort of my tireless mom.
Thus I made it finally, no other way I would have chosen to make it than this unplanned emergency way. Brighter side of it is it came perfectly well, the mixing in piping hot water did not distort the output a little. Told my mom the good news. An experience she can add to her cooking history!
Ultimately all happens for good and here good for my son, who loves it, more because it is such a rare commodity with me. I told him, " You are lucky Hari!" Really! But nothing ends without a lesson. Therefore 'moral of the story' is the most unsought after job of making chakli is not a big deal. One more cloud clearing in the sky of ignorance.
How else would I have made it but accidentally?
Yes you read it right. I made it accidentally. As usual just now my son wanted something for a snack for the evening. All other options closed, I decided I would make kozhukattai for him, which is again I don't attempt often but not as scarce as the former. The flour for that is simple rice flour but we make it with the one which is used for making rice noodles (idiappam) which again stock given by mom. So I dug into my freezer and took out the flour, boiled water and put the flour and stirred, it beautifully clumped without lumps and changed color. Changing color is important but not so immediately as I put it in water. So the subconscious doubt that I had whether it was not the chakli flour came more certain. And the wonderful aroma it steamed out confirmed the doubt and I had cooked the chakli flour instead of the rice flour. Wondered how the color could be so unblemished white!
Switched off the stove, redialed my mom and told the error, what I thought and did what, checked if it would not change the flour's composition much so that I could still make the half fried chakli out of it. I had to decide to do that in haste now, lest I should leave my son hungry yet more time and waste the effort of my tireless mom.
Thus I made it finally, no other way I would have chosen to make it than this unplanned emergency way. Brighter side of it is it came perfectly well, the mixing in piping hot water did not distort the output a little. Told my mom the good news. An experience she can add to her cooking history!
Ultimately all happens for good and here good for my son, who loves it, more because it is such a rare commodity with me. I told him, " You are lucky Hari!" Really! But nothing ends without a lesson. Therefore 'moral of the story' is the most unsought after job of making chakli is not a big deal. One more cloud clearing in the sky of ignorance.
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