Biyyam Pindi Chekkalu | Thattai Recipe

Pappu chekkalu are a crispy, buttery and addictive snack made all across South Indian states. These are easy to make and absolutely delicious. A perfect treat with a cup of tea. They are also great to make for Diwali as edible gifts.

I am sharing my mom's recipe here that is fool proof. She uses rice flour or biyyam pindi. She also adds crushed peanuts and chilies to give these chekkalu a nutty-spicy kick. Do try this recipe, I am sure you will love these as much as we do.

About the Recipe

My Amma is a pro in making traditional Andhra dishes including snacks and sweets. I am slowly learning and documenting her recipes here. There are some I absolutely love to make, like these janthikalu, boorelu and chalimidi.

Pappu chekkalu or simply chekkalu are one of my childhood favorite. My mom used to make them quite frequently for us as afterschool snack. Come to think of it, we never had store-bought snacks at home. Amma always made sure that we had homemade goodies on hand all the time.

These crispy discs or savory fried crisps are commonly made across South Indian states. They are also known as nippattu in Karnataka or thattai in Tamil Nadu.

My mom's recipe includes crushed peanuts and green chilies. This adds a nice spice kick as well as a nutty flavor to chekkalu. The best part is these stay fresh in an airtight container for up to 10 days.

Traditionally, these are deep fried until golden and crispy. But I recently made these chekkalu in air fryer and they turned out great. Check out the tips section to see how to make these nippattu in an air fryer.

Ingredients

For the details of the exact quantities of each ingredient and the list of ingredients needed, check the printable recipe card below.

Here are the ingredients you need to make pappu chekkalu:

• Rice flour or biyyam pindi - regular store-bought flour.
• All purpose flour (Maida)
• Chana dal - soak for at least 30 minutes before making the dough
• Sesame seeds
• Raw peanuts and green chilies - ground to a coarse paste
• Ghee or unsalted butter - to get the best crumbly texture
• Salt
• Oil, for deep frying

Instructions

For the detailed instructions on how to make the recipe with exact timings, check the printable recipe card below.

Thattai recipe is quite an easy one to make. But read the Expert Tips section to ensure that you make the crispiest and best pappu chekkalu with peanuts.

Soak chana dal for at least 30 minutes in a small bowl. Drain and use.

Grind peanuts and green chilies to a coarse paste.

In a medium size mixing bowl, combine flours, sesame seeds, drained chana dal, ground peanut mixture, ghee and salt. Mix with your fingers to form a crumbly mixture.

Add just enough water and mix everything to form a stiff dough similar to puri dough. Knead a couple of times.

Heat oil for deep frying on medium flame. Take a small lemon size piece of the dough and pat it into a disc on our palm, or oiled Ziploc bag or aluminum foil.

Gently slide in the dough disc into the hot oil and fry on medium flame until golden brown on both sides. Remove onto a paper-towel lined plate. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Let cool completely before enjoying them. Store completely cooled chekkalu in an air tight container.

Expert Tips

• Make sure to rub the butter or ghee into the flour before adding water. This ensures that the texture of final pappu chekkalu is buttery and crumbly.
• Soak chana dal for at least 30 minutes to ensure that it is soft before using in the recipe.
• Make sure that the oil is at medium temperature.
• Thattai have to be fried at even medium flame until lightly browned and crispy. DO NOT fry on high flame, this will change the color too soon and they will turn soggy as they cool.
• Make sure to cool nippattu completely before storing.
• Store in an airtight container for up to 10 days.
• Chekkalu in air fryer or baked nippattu recipe:
  • Preheat the air fryer/ oven to 350°F.
  • Lightly grease a baking sheet and evenly space chekkalu on it.
  • Bake for 12~16 minutes or until lightly browned and crispy. Make sure to flip them halfway through.

You might also like

Here are a few more delicious Indian savory snacks that you might like:

I love hearing from you!! If you’ve tried this and liked it, then don't forget to let me know. Give a star rating and let me know in the comments below. Also tag me in your creations on Instagram @cooks_hideout. I love sharing photos when people make my recipes. You can use the hashtag #cookshideout too.

Recipe Card