Nippatu Recipe | Akki Vade | Tandla Vado | Savory Rice Crackers | Thattai | Chekkalu | Tandalache Vade | Akki Nippattu
Nippattu or Tandla Vado are crispy and crunchy deep-fried rice crackers made with just five ingredients.
This nippatu is different from the ones that are sold in bakeries in Bangalore. Both are prepared using rice, but the spices and other ingredients make them different in taste and texture.
Chakli To Nippattu (Vado)
I planned to make chakli (murukku), and I prepared the no-fail dough recipe that I have been doing for a long time now. But during my shifting and relocation, I have misplaced my chakli mold. Even then, my gut feeling said this dough would work with my pastry bag and star tip, but I was wrong. The chakkuli dough is firm and non-sticky, and therefore it did not come out of the star-tip.
But did I throw away the dough? Not at all. See what I made with the dough. Crispy and crunchy nippattu or vado. No alteration in my recipe. Just the shape changed from chakkli to nippattu or vado.
Having said that, if you have chakli mold, feel free to do chakuli, chakralu, jantikalu, or butter murukku using the same recipe. It will work 200 percent 🙂
What is Nippattu or Vado?
Nippattu, also known as Thattai, Chekkalu is a popular deep-fried Indian snack recipe prepared using rice flour and urad dal as main ingredients. You can add different spices of your choice to taste.
In Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, this snack is prepared during Janmashtami, but in my hometown and coastal region of Karnataka (Mangalore, Udupi) and Goa, this is prepared mainly during Navratri and served with CHANA DAL KHEER.
My mom prepares it from scratch during Navratri by washing rice and urad dal, drying it out in the shade, and then grinding it to fine powders. The dough is then prepared using water and hot coconut oil, and later shaped and fried. Nippattu is then served with kheeri and madgane or chana dal payasa for the family gathering (Navi Javana or Manmidevu).
How can I forget the fun we had helping mom in shaping the vadas. Do check the video on how it is done.
I have not done the traditional recipe here. I have used store-bought rice flour, fine dry-roasted urad dal powder, salt, til, and softened butter.
Nippattu is one of the best make-ahead recipes during the festival season. Do try these simple yet so irresistibly delicious rice crackers. And don't wait for Navratri - you can make this whenever you have cravings for homemade nippattu or during other festivals.
Ingredients for Nippatu or Tandla Vado
1 cup Rice flour
¼ cup Urad dal or split black lentils
1 teaspoon Til (sesame seeds) or Cumin seeds
2 tablespoon Butter, softened
½ teaspoon Salt, adjust to taste
Water, as needed (I use ½ cup + 1 or 2 tbsp)
Oil for frying
How to make Nippattu or Tandla Vado?
In a pan on medium heat, add urad dal and dry roast till it becomes golden brown and aromatic. During the process keep stirring for even roasting and preventing it from burning. I love the smell that fills up the kitchen while roasting urad dal 🙂
Transfer this to a plate. Let this cool down completely. Add the roasted urad dal to a mixer or blender and blend it into a fine smooth powder.
You can dry roast til or cumin seeds in the same pan. Sauteing or adding til or cumin seeds while preparing rice vado is optional.
In a bowl, add rice flour, urad dal powder, til or sesame or cumin seeds, salt to taste and mix. I first added ½ teaspoon salt and then, in the end, while making the dough, tasted and added another ¼ tsp. So adjust salt to your taste.
Now add softened butter and nicely rub the flour until the butter is very well incorporated.
Add water little by little to form a dough. The dough should be firm and non-sticky. It should not be dry or sticky. The amount of water you may require to reach the final stage may be different. So please do not add all water at once, instead, add it in parts. Check my video on the making of vado or nippattu for more details.
Heat oil in pan or kadai for frying on medium-low flame.
Make tiny balls from the dough, as shown in the video. To shape them into nippatu or vada, you need two parchment papers, aluminum foil, or plastic sheets. I generally love using parchment paper, so I don't have to grease my bowl or flat press.
Place few tiny balls on one parchment paper a few inches apart. Keep another parchment paper on top of these balls and flatten it using a flat-surfaced press (it can be a bowl, back of the glass, spatula, etc.). Please check the video for a better understanding.
Once you have flattened few balls, fry them in batches on medium flame till it is crisp and golden brown on all sides. Make sure to flip and rotate the vadas once or twice during the frying process. Make sure that you always have the flame on medium so that the vadas come out crispy and crunchy. (Tip: Medium flame is best for frying. If you fry on high flame, it will be crisp from outside and soft inside, and if you fry on low flame, it will absorb too much oil.)
Transfer to a paper towel to absorb any excess oil. Repeat the process for the remaining dough.
Once it cools down completely, store them in an airtight container. It will remain fresh for at least a month if stored right.
Tips:
- The dough should be firm and non-sticky. A sticky dough will absorb too much oil, and if the dough is dry, then it may break while frying.
- The flavor here is a plain salted one - because it pair well when served with Chana Dal Kheer. You can make it more flavorful by adding green chilies or red chile powder, curry leaves, chana dal, crushed peanuts or cashew nuts, hurikadale or fried gram if desired.
- Follow the same recipe until making dough if you are making chakuli, chakralu, jantikalu, butter murukku, or chakli. Then use chakli mold with a star plate to shape chaklis and murukkus. Again frying and storing steps remain the same.
How to serve Vado or Nippattu?
I loved to crush vados and eat it with dal, idli sambar, etc. You can serve it as a tea-time snack, mid-day snack, or munchies. Try it out and let me know.
Can I make nippattu or rice crackers vegan?
Yes. Substitute butter with oil. I always prefer coconut oil.
Why is my nippattu not crispy?
Nippattu will not be crispy if the fat content is less. Please follow the exact recipe for a good result. Also, make sure these are fried on medium flame.
Why is my nippattu soft?
Nippattu will be soft if the fat content is more than needed. Also, make sure you do not fry them on high flame.
Why does nippatu break when shaping?
Nippatu breaks if the dough is very tight. The water added was less than needed.
All these answers apply while preparing chakli too.
Air Fryer Nippattu or Baked Nipattu
Preheat your air fryer to 180 degrees C or 350 degrees F. Plate the nippattu in basket on single layer and spray them with oil. Once preheated air fry for 8 to 10 minutes turning them mid way through. After they become light brown around edges cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. The time may vary depending on how thick or thin you have shaped the nippattu.
Video recipe for Nippattu, Tandla Vado, or Savory Rice Crackers.
Detailed recipe for Nippattu, Tandla Vado, or Savory Rice Crackers.
NIPPATTU RECIPE | TANDLA VADO | SAVORY RICE CRACKERS | THATTAI | CHEKKALU
Ingredients
- 1 cup Rice flour
- ¼ cup Urad dal or split black lentils
- 1 teaspoon Til (sesame seeds) or Cumin seeds
- 2 tablespoon Butter, softened
- ½ teaspoon Salt, adjust to taste
- Water, as needed (I use ½ cup + 1 or 2 tbsp)
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- In a pan on medium heat, add urad dal and dry roast till it becomes golden brown and aromatic. During the process keep stirring for even roasting and preventing it from burning. I love the smell that fills up the kitchen while roasting urad dal 🙂
- Transfer this to a plate. Let this cool down completely. Add the roasted urad dal to a mixer or blender and blend it into a fine smooth powder.
- You can dry roast til or cumin seeds in the same pan. Sauteing or adding til or cumin seeds while preparing rice vado is optional.
- In a bowl, add rice flour, urad dal powder, til or sesame or cumin seeds, salt to taste and mix. I first added ½ teaspoon salt and then, in the end, while making the dough, tasted and added another ¼ tsp. So adjust salt to your taste.
- Now add softened butter and nicely rub the flour until the butter is very well incorporated.
- Add water little by little to form a dough. The dough should be firm and non-sticky. It should not be dry or sticky. The amount of water you may require to reach the final stage may be different. So please do not add all water at once, instead, add it in parts. Check my video on the making of vado or nippattu for more details.
- Heat oil in pan or kadai for frying on medium-low flame.
- Make tiny balls from the dough (You can refer video here). To shape them into nippatu or vada, you need two parchment papers, aluminum foil, or plastic sheets. I generally love using parchment paper, so I don’t have to grease my bowl or flat press.
- Place few tiny balls on one parchment paper a few inches apart. Keep another parchment paper on top of these balls and flatten it using a flat-surfaced press (it can be a bowl, back of the glass, spatula, etc.). Please check the video for a better understanding.
- Once you have flattened few balls, fry them in batches on medium flame till it is crisp and golden brown on all sides. Make sure to flip and rotate the vadas once or twice during the frying process. Make sure that you always have the flame on medium so that the vadas come out crispy and crunchy. (Tip: Medium flame is best for frying. If you fry on high flame, it will be crisp from outside and soft inside, and if you fry on low flame, it will absorb too much oil.)
- Transfer to a paper towel to absorb any excess oil. Repeat the process for the remaining dough.
- Once it cools down completely, store them in an airtight container. It will remain fresh for at least a month if stored right.
Notes
- The dough should be firm and non-sticky. A sticky dough will absorb too much oil, and if the dough is dry, then it may break while frying.
- The flavor here is a plain salted one – because it pair well when served with Chana Dal Kheer. You can make it more flavorful by adding green chilies or red chile powder, curry leaves, chana dal, crushed peanuts or cashew nuts, hurikadale or fried gram if desired.
- Follow the same recipe until making dough if you are making chakuli, chakralu, jantikalu, butter murukku, or chakli. Then use chakli mold with a star plate to shape chaklis and murukkus. Again frying and storing steps remain the same.
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