How to Make Crispy Nippattu (Deep-Fried Spicy Rice Crackers)
I like to cook and eat natural, healthy, and tasty foods, and I enjoy sharing recipes from my native Indian cuisine.
Nippattu (deep-fried spicy rice crackers).
A Mouthwatering Evening Snack!
Nippattu are deep-fried spicy rice crackers. They are a popular South Indian festival snack that is prepared with rice flour, fried gram, peanuts, and spices. Spicy, crunchy, and flavorful, they make an awesome evening snack or party appetizer.
Making nippattu is very quick and easy. I was able to make about 20 large crackers in about 45 minutes.
Cook Time
| Prep time | Cook time | Ready in | Yields |
|---|---|---|---|
15 min | 30 min | 45 min | 20 large nippattu |
Ingredients
- 2 cups rice flour
- 3/4 cup peanuts
- 3/4 cup fried gram (hurigadale)
- 2 sprigs curry leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon asafoetida (hing) powder
- 3 tablespoons hot oil
- 4 tablespoons fine semolina (sooji), also called chiroti rave
- 1 1/2 tablespoons maida (all-purpose-flour)
- 2 teaspoons red chili powder
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, or to taste
- 2 teaspoons white sesame seeds (optional)
- oil for deep-frying
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add rice flour, semolina, all-purpose flour, red chili powder, salt, asafoetida powder and optional sesame seeds,
- In a mixer or blender, add peanuts and fried gram. Briefly pulse 2 or 3 times to get a rough mixture.
- Add curry leaves to the mixer or blender and pulse once again to chop the leaves.
- Add this mixture to the mixing bowl.
- Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a tempering pan. When the oil becomes smoking hot, pour it into the mixing bowl.
- Mix the ingredients with a spoon. (If you mix them with your fingers, the hot oil might burn your fingers.)
- Little by little, add water until you're able to create a firm and pliable dough with your fingers. Cover it with a cloth.
- Heat oil for deep-frying. Pinch out a lemon-sized portion of the dough. Shape it like a patty. Place the patty in the center of a greased plastic sheet or butter paper.
- Pat it with greased fingers until you get a medium-sized disc (neither thick nor thin). Make 3 such discs.
- When the oil is hot enough for frying, gently slide the discs into the moderately hot oil.
- Keep heat medium-high until the discs become a bit crunchy. Afterward, reduce heat to a minimum. Turn them occasionally to ensure uniform frying.
- Once they become golden brown and crispy, remove and place them on an absorbent paper towel. Frying each batch takes about 5 minutes.
- Repeat the same process with the remaining dough.
- Allow them to cool completely.
- Enjoy eating them as evening snacks or between-meal snacks. They will keep for over a month when stored in an airtight container.
Picture Tutorial
Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, add rice flour, all-purpose flour, semolina, red chili powder, sesame seeds, asafoetida powder, and salt.
Read More From Delishably
Step 2: Add peanuts and fried gram to a mixer or blender. Pulse 2 or 3 times to obtain a rough mixture.
Add curry leaves to the mixer or blender and pulse once again.
The peanut/fried gram/curry leaf mixture.
Add the mixture to the mixing bowl. Add 3 tablespoons of very hot oil.
Step 3: Add water little by little in order to prepare a smooth and firm dough. Cover the dough with a damp cloth or plate.
Step 4: Pinch out a lemon-sized portion of dough. Shape it like a patty. Place it on a greased plastic sheet. Pat it with greased fingers to get medium-sized discs; make sure they aren't too thick or too thin. Make 3 such discs.
Step 5: Gently slide them into moderately hot oil. Don't overcrowd them. Once they are firm, turn them to ensure uniform frying. Keep the heat medium-high in the beginning.
Once they are firm, reduce the heat to a minimum and fry until they become crispy and golden brown.
Step 6: Remove and place them on an absorbent paper towel. The yummy nippattu is ready! Repeat the same with the remaining dough. Allow them to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for over a month.
