Milagu Thattai (peppered rice crackers)

Preparation time : 45 minutes

Cooking time : 45 minutes

Number of serve : 15

Ingredients :

1. Raw rice - 4 cups

2. Whole urad dal (ulundu) - 1/2 cup

3. Roasted chickpeas (pottu kadalai) - 1/2 cup

4. Cumin seeds - 2 teaspoons

5. Pepper corns -  1 tablespoon (crushed with mortar and pestle)

6. Sesame seeds (white variety) - 2 teaspoons

7. Asafodita powder - 1/2 teaspoon

8. Oil - (a) For mixing the flour - 3 table spoons

            (b) For deep frying

9. Salt - to taste

10. Hot water - enough for mixing

Method :

1. Soak raw rice in water for about an hour. Drain and dry rice on a cloth under shade. When rice becomes dry, grind it in a mixer to a fine powder. If the rice flour is coarse in texture, sieve once or twice until the final product is a fine powder

2. Place a thick bottomed pan on medium fire and add rice flour. Fry lightly so that the flour becomes dry and devoid of moisture content. Transfer flour into a big plate and cool. Now this flour is ready for making the thattais.

3. Heat the pan once again and dry roast urad dal stirring continuously. When lightly brown, transfer into another plate and cool. Then grind it in a mixer grinder to a fine powder and keep aside.

4. Grind roasted chickpeas to a fine powder and keep aside.

5. In a bowl, add 4 cups of rice flour, 1/2 a cup of urad dal powder and 1/2 a cup of chickpea flour.

6. To this add sesame seeds, cumin seeds, crushed peppercorns, asafodita powder and salt.

7. Heat 3 tablespoon of oil in a pan and add it to the flour.

8. Mix all the ingredients throughly.

9. Boil approximately 3 cups of water in a vessel. When hot, add it to flour and mix with a ladle to make a thick dough. 

10. Take a small portion of the dough and make into lemon sized ball.

11. Flatten the ball by pressing with fingers to give it a round shape.

12. Repeat the same procedure for rest of the dough.

13. Place a kadai/pan on the fire and add enough oil for deep frying.

14. When hot, transfer 4 or 5 rounds of dough into oil. When one side becomes brown, flip and cook till the other side also becomes brown. 

15. When fully done, remove from oil. Repeat the same procedure for rest of the dough. Do not fry more than 4 or 5 at a time.

16. Now thattais are ready to be served.