Instant Chakli Recipe (Whole Wheat Chakli )

November 8, 2023Niketa

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Serves: 15-17 Chaklis

3.1

Chakli is a spiral shaped, fried savory snack made during the Diwali festival in all Maharashtrian homes. Traditionally chakli is made using a blend of lentil and spices. However, my instant chakli recipe uses only whole wheat flour as the base ingredient to make light & crunchy instant chaklis. The reason why I love my whole wheat chakli recipe is…. it tastes great relative to the effort required. My recipe requires minimal inputs in terms of time, energy, ingredients and clean up yet yields delicious results.

If there is one Diwali snack that my husband can’t do without, then it has to be this instant chakli recipe. When I was newly married I tried making chakli from scratch but it was certainly a tedious process. Later, I turned to readymade chakli bhajani mix but didn’t like that either. 4 years back we were invited to our friends’ place for Diwali and I couldn’t stop eating whole wheat chaklis made by my friend. I borrowed her recipe and made them right away and have been making them ever since.

Whole Wheat Chakli
Instant Chakli

You probably have all these ingredients sitting in your pantry so look no further and get going!

Ingredients To Make Whole Wheat Chakli

Whole Wheat Flour: My recipe only uses whole wheat flour. I have used Aashirvaad Atta for making the chaklis.

Spices: To spice up the chaklis I have added Kashmiri red chili powder, turmeric powder, asafotedia, carom seeds, sesame seeds.

Oil: I have used vegetable oil to deep fry the chaklis.

Equipment : You will need a chakli press. I have bought my brass chakli press from India. Personally I prefer steel chakli press as its easier to work with. Also, you will need a pressure cooker & a muslin cloth.

How To Make Chakli:

Steaming the whole wheat flour: In order to make your chakli light & crispy in texture its important to steam the flour in the pressure cooker for 20 minutes without the whistle. If you skip steaming the flour, the chakli will be dense and heavy in texture. The recipe card explains in detail how to steam the flour.

Making the Chakli: In a wide bowl add whole wheat flour, spices, salt and hot oil. Mix well. Gradually add water to form a pliable dough. Divide the dough into cylindrical shape. Place the dough in chakli press and start to make chakli on a work surface lined with parchment paper. Heat oil in a frying pan and deep fry the chaklis until golden brown. Fry the chaklis in small batches. Place the chakli on a paper towel and let it cool down completely. Store it in an airtight container.

Storage : Once the chakli is cooled down store this instant chakli in an airtight container at room temperature up to a month. Trust me its so light and delicious that it will be polished off before that.

Here are some more Diwali recipes:

Methi Crackers

Methi Crackers | Oat Methi Crackers

Poha Chivda

Poha Chivda| Roasted Poha Chivda

If You Have Tried This Recipe, I Would Love To Hear Your Feedback:

If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment. Above all, I love to hear your feedback and I do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you recreate this recipe, please rate below and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram: @keencuisinier

Print Recipe

Instant Whole Wheat Chakli

  • Prep time: 30 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 50 minutes
  • Serves: 15-17 Chaklis

Instant Chakli is a crispy deep fried savory snack made during Diwali Festival. This recipe uses minimum ingredients - just whole wheat flour and some spices

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
  • 2 tsp Red Chili Powder
  • 1 tsp Turmeric Powder
  • 1/4 tsp Asafotedia
  • 2 tsp Sesame Seeds
  • 1.5 tsp Carom Seeds
  • 1 tsp Salt, add according to your liking
  • 1 tsp Hot Oil (mohan)
  • 1/2 cup Water
  • Oil , for frying

Steaming The Flour

Steaming The Flour

  • 1)

    Tie 1 cup of whole wheat flour in a muslin cloth or a clean cotton cloth. Place this flour bundle in a rice cooker pot.

  • 2)

    Add 1/4 cup water in a pressure cooker. Place a trivet or use a small container facing upside down. Now place the container with flour bundle on trivet.

  • 3)

    Secure the pressure cooker by putting the lid on. Make sure to remove the whistle and steam the flour for 20 minutes on a medium heat.

  • 4)

    After 20 minutes, let the pressure release naturally. Once it is done then open the lid. Bring out the container with the flour bundle.

  • 5)

    Untie the flour bundle, you will notice that flour turned into a hard lump.

  • 6)

    Transfer the hard flour lump in a wide bowl. While it is still warm try and break it up into a fine powder. I used my highspeed blender to break down the lump into fine flour. If using highspeed blender make sure the flour lump has cooled down. You can make this steamed flour in advance of making chakli. If you make it in advance store it in an air tight container.

Making Chakli

  • 1)

    In a wide bowl add steamed whole wheat flour, turmeric powder, asafotedia, salt, chili powder, sesame seeds, carom seeds crushed between your palms. Mix well set aside.

  • 2)

    Heat 1 tsp of oil on high heat and add it to the above mixture. (Don’t skip heating the oil ) Mix everything well.

  • 3)

    Next add 1/2 cup of water gradually and knead the flour to make a medium stiff yet soft dough. You might need to add more water (about 2 tbsp – add 1 tbsp at a time) depending on the quality of the flour.

  • 4)

    Next use the chakli disc. The chakli disc has star shaped hole in the chakli press machine. Divide the dough into cylindrical shape to fit in the chakli press. Make sure you fill the chakli press well.

  • 5)

    Line your work surface with a parchment paper and start to shape chakli on it.

  • 6)

    While you are making chaklis start heating the oil in a frying pan on a medium heat. I like medium sized chaklis so I make 3-4 spiral rounds. Make sure to make the spiral rounds that stick to each other and secure the end by pinching it to seal. This way chakli retains its shape.

  • 7)

    Once the oil is hot, slide in the chakli one at a time & deep fry the chaklis until golden brown and crispy on both the sides. Fry chaklis in small batch and flip the sides to ensure even browning. Use a slotted spoon to drain the excess oil.

  • 8)

    Place the fried chaklis on a plate lined with paper towel so the excess oil gets absorbed.

  • 9)

    Repeat the shaping a frying process until the dough finishes.

  • 10)

    Allow the chaklis cool down completely, store the chaklis in an air tight container at room temperature. They stay good for weeks if kept away from moisture.

Notes

This recipe and measurement makes around 17 chaklis. I have steamed 1 cup flour in a pressure cooker and added 1/4 cup water. If you are going double the ingredients make sure you steam 2 cups flour and add 1/2 cup water.

While kneading the dough add water gradually as quality of the flour varies across the different  brands.

Make sure to make the spiral rounds close to each other and pinch the end to seal it. This way the chakli will retain its shape while frying.

Once the chakli is cooled down store this instant chakli in an airtight container at room temperature up to a month. Trust me its so light and delicious that it will be polished off before that.

You may also like

2 Comments

  • Kalika

    November 9, 2023 at 10:56 PM

    Tried this recipe today and Chaklis turned out tasty, crispy and light. Recipe is written very well. Thank you for making our Diwali memorable and hassle free. 🙂

    Reply

    1. Niketa

      November 13, 2023 at 10:09 PM

      I am glad my Chakli recipe made your celebrations memorable. Thanks for sharing your feedback.

      Reply

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Previous Recipe Next Recipe