“Chakuli Rasam; Crisp Chakuli (Murukku) dunked in Hot-N-Spicy Rasam” … if you have not tried this combo then you have missed out on a heavenly treat … it’s a pleasure to sip hot- spicy rasam while taking in between bites of crunchy chakuli dunked in it … Chakuli is a part of Diwali snack and almost in every home it’s served to guests on the auspicious days … this Diwali serve chakuli dunked in spicy rasam and enjoy the festive occasion with family and friends … Yummilicious …
** Diwali is that time of the year when there are loads are work to be attended to. Cleaning the home, decluttering unused things, disposing excess clothes and above all preparing snacks and goodies all occupy us for days to come and by the time, its Diwali we are famished. However, Diwali- the festival of lights always brightens one’s spirit and we are charged back with full energy to enjoy it with family and friends.
** Though monsoon will have just been passed off sometimes it does continue to pour heavily and that’s a total mess for all those who want to venture out to visit family, friends, not to mention burst crackers. Coolants/ Beverages, Snack, Goodies, Gifts etc. are all a part and parcel of the celebration. Among snacks almost in every home either chakuli is prepared or purchased and they are truly a joy to munch on.
** This year instead of serving coolant or any other beverage, serve chakuli- rasam, a spicy soup sort of a dish from southern parts of India in which you may dunk the chakuli just before serving, tastes excellent and is sure to be hit if served as an appetizer before meals or as it is too. This one was one of my favorite combo from childhood and I never tire of relishing it to date, you should give it a try, it tastes fantastic.
** I have already shared the recipe of traditional Chakuli recipe from GSB Konkani Saraswat Cuisine to which I will share a link at the bottom of this recipe. However, I must mention that you may serve any chakuli you have at home, preferably the non- spicy one’s as the rasam is spicy enough for taste. Just see to it that you dunk the chakuli in hot spicy rasam just before serving to avoid it turning soggy, that’s it, do try it.
** Again, if you have any of your own spicy rasam recipes, you can go ahead and use the same too. You can also serve it with sambar in which case just see to it that it’s not too thick in consistency. Again, in my opinion rasam tastes great as it has a soupy texture which can be sipped on to. I am sharing a standard rasam recipe below, which you may try out to serve with chakuli, it’s simple and easy to prepare.
** For the preparation of Rasam :
** Ingredients :
** To prepare rasam you can use either masoor dal, tuvar dal or moong dal, they all go well, however, here I have used moong dal.
Moong Dal/ Green Gram Dal : ½- ¾ cup
Tomatoes : 2-3 medium sized
Tamarind/ Chinchama/ Imly paste : 1 tblsp
Jaggery/ Goda/ Gud/ Bella Powder : ¼ tsp (Optional)
Coriander Leaves/ Dhania/ Kottambari Pallo : ¼ cup finely chopped
Ghee/ Toop : 1 tblsp
Salt/ Namak/ Meeta : to taste
** For Tempering/ Pannaka/ Tadka :
Coconut Oil/ Nariyal Tel/ Narlel Tela : 3-4 tblsp
Mustard Seeds/ Rai/ Sasam : 1 tsp
Jeera/ Cumin Seeds : 1 tblsp
Hing/ Asafoetida Powder : 1 tsp
Curry Leaves/ Kadipatta/ Karbevu : 8-10 fresh leaves.
Rasam Powder : 2-3 tblsp (any brand)
Kashmiri Chilly/ Michi Powder/ Mirsange Pitti : 1 tsp
** Wash and soak moong dal/ green gram dal in water for 15- 20 minutes. Drain, wash well and add into a pressure cooker pan with 1 cup of water and pressure cook on medium heat for 2-3 whistles. Let the pressure in cooker falls by itself, gently open the lid, remove and add cooked moong dal in a thick- bottomed vessel.
** Add 3-5 cups of water and mash it well to a smooth consistency without any lumps. Add finely chopped tomatoes and bring to a rolling boil. When tomatoes have cooked soft, mash it a little bit with a potato masher, add in tamarind paste, salt to taste, jaggery powder and continue to boil for a few minutes stirring often .
** For Tempering/ Pannaka/ Tadka : Heat coconut oil in a small pan, when hot add mustard seeds, when they begin to splutter add jeera, hing, curry leaves and fry for 1-2 seconds. Lower the heat to minimum and then add chilly powder followed by rasam powder and fry well for a minute or two. Do not let it burn, you can sprinkle some water if desired if you find that the powders are sticking to the pan.
** Remove and add tempering to the simmering rasam, mix well and bring to a boil on medium heat stirring well in between. Once you see bubbles appearing on the surface of the rasam, lower the heat to minimum and continue to simmer at least for 10-15 minutes, this helps in bringing out a good aroma to the rasam.
** Check and add more water if required now, remember rasam in thin in consistency. When the rasam has been thoroughly simmered and you get a good aroma, add ghee, coriander leaves and mix well. Remove and keep it aside covered to rest for 10-15 minutes, as it helps in the flavours to be well infused with rasam.
** Note : You can use any easily available rasam powder or you can substitute it with sambar powder too. If using sambar powder just be careful and use a little lesser in quantity. The quantity of Rasam/ Sambar Powder to be added depends on individual taste. You can add more/ less depending upon you family choice.
** For serving : Rasam- Vada ie small deep fried vada balls prepared with urad dal batter is dunked in rasam and served in glasses in South Indian Restaurants as an appetizer for Thali meals. Chakuli- Rasam is my own combo, which we siblings tried out on our own during childhood days as chakuli was a snack Amma always prepared for us to relish whenever we preferred especially during holidays.
** “Chakuli Rasam; Crisp Chakuli dunked in Hot-N-Spicy Rasam” is ready to be served. You can serve it in bowls/ glasses as shown in picture or in any serving dish of your choice. The rasam must be piping hot while serving and chakuli should be dunked into it just before serving to avoid it turning soggy. You can serve them together but in separate glass- plate too if desired. You have to sip the hot rasam for its flavour like a soup and bite on the crisp chakuli dunking it in rasam it tastes awesome.
** Chakuli- Rasam is not the only combo we relish at home as an appetizer or for dinner. I also enjoy relishing rasam with any type of chakuli/ murukku or with tinglodu, kodbale, vada, nippattu etc. In fact any crispy snack tastes great dunked in rasam, at times I also enjoy relishing thick karo, sonto etc. they all taste great. I have hopefully given you lot of choice, so this Diwali, do enjoy any combo of your preference with your family and friends and trust me you will be surprised at the positive reactions.
** For the traditional “Chakuli” Recipe, Please follow the link given below ….
** You can also check on “Tinglodu” Recipe, Please follow the link given below…
** Though I would suggest you try out the “Rasam” recipe given above for best of taste, I am sharing a common link to other “Rasam” recipes shared in the Blog, just browse through for more choice for serving with chakuli …
Wishing all my friends here
“A Very Happy and Prosperous Diwali”
may Sri Hari Bless us all with his choices blessings.
Take Care- Play Safe.
I was on the lookout of a perfect chakuli recipe,when I chanced to read your blog.Your instructions werw so clear I decided to try it and the chakuli turned out so crispy and tasty I have to thank you and your mom from the bottom of my heart. God bless you.
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