Making Theingolalu or White Lentil Snacks

Celebrating a festival often means eating lots of food. Theingolu or theingolalu are one such popular festival snack. It is a hassle-free and easy dish that can be made in 30-40 minutes. I used rice flour, white lentils (de-husked split black gram), sesame seeds, cumin seeds, hing/asafoetida, butter, and salt for making this. They can be stored fresh for a month in an air-tight container at room temperature. Don't keep them in refrigerator.

They have a nice roasted white lentil aroma and an appetizing butter flavor. Now, let me show you the recipe.

1. Wash white lentils (urad dal). Soak them in water for 10 minutes. Cook with about 1 1/4 cups water till soft. Cooking them in a pressure cooker gives the best results. Once done, keep aside for cooling.
2. Grind them with just enough water to get a smooth paste. Add water while grinding only if necessary.
3. Gather rice flour, white lentil paste, sesame seeds, cumin seeds, hing powder, red chili powder, butter, and salt in a mixing bowl. Mix them. Knead while adding water if needed, to get a smooth, pliable dough. No need to rest the dough.
4. Pinch out a big lemon-sized dough. Form a cylindrical shape. Insert it into the chakli making mould. Use the plate with 3 round holes or a single big hole.
5. Grease a plastic sheet with some oil. Press or turn the machine handle to push the dough through these holes. Dough comes out in the form of strings. Press and make a small round in which strings are separated. Refer the pic. Make 5-6 such shapes on the plastic sheet or on a banana leaf.
6. Heat oil for deep frying. Drop them gently into the hot oil one by one. Keep the fire medium low. Turn them occasionally to ensure uniform frying.
7. In the mean while, keep ready the next set of raw shapes on the sheet.
8. Fry them till golden brown. Note that they should be cooked properly till inside, to get a crunchy theingolu. Fry them throughout on a medium heat.
9. Frying a batch may take about 6-7 minutes. Take them out with the help of a slotted spoon and place on an absorbent paper sheet.
10. Repeat the same for making all the theingolu. Store them in an air-tight container when they are completely cold. Don't refrigerate.
11. Yummy and crunchy theingolu or theingolalu is ready to eat! Munch them whenever you desire. They make the best tea time snacks.