Thattai Recipe | Thattu Vadai
Thattai is a crisp, savory South Indian cracker made with rice flour, lentils, sesame seeds, curry leaves and spices. Also known as Thattu Vadai or Thattai Murukku, it is commonly prepared in Tamil Nadu for festivals such as Krishna Jayanthi and Diwali. Related versions are called Nippattu in Karnataka and Chekkalu in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, with some differences in the ingredients and preparation. This Thattai recipe makes about 25 crisp crackers that can be served as a festive or tea-time snack.
The Thattai Recipe I Make at Home
How I found this recipe: One of my readers shared this Thattai recipe with me many years ago. It remained in my email for quite some time because I was busy and could not try it immediately. When I finally made it, the Thattai turned out crisp and crunchy.
My version: After testing the recipe, I made a few small changes to suit our taste. This recipe uses rice flour, ground urad dal, roasted chana dal, soaked chana dal, sesame seeds, curry leaves, asafoetida and red chilli powder. Butter helps with the texture, while fresh grated or thinly sliced coconut can be added optionally.
These homemade Thattu Vadai are also less spicy than many store-bought versions. You can adjust the red chilli powder according to your preference.
Yield and storage: The recipe makes about 25 Thattai and can be scaled up proportionately. Let them cool completely before storing them in an airtight jar so that they remain crisp.
Serve Thattai with tea or coffee, prepare them for festivals, or break them into smaller pieces and add them to a South Indian Mixture Recipe.
I hope you enjoy making this traditional snack and sharing it with your family.
Explore More South Indian Diwali Snacks Recipes
How to make Thattai (Stepwise)
Preparation
1. Firstly, rinse and then soak 1 tablespoon chana dal (husked and split Bengal gram) in hot water for 30 minutes.
2. Heat a heavy kadai or pan. Keep the heat to low or medium-low. Add 1 tablespoon urad dal (husked and whole or split black gram).
3. Lightly roast urad dal for 1 to 2 minutes. You don’t need to brown the dal. Remove the lentils and set aside.
Instead of using urad dal, you can also use urad dal flour. Just add 1 tablespoon urad dal flour in the dough mixture.
4. In the same kadai or pan, add 1 cup (160 grams) rice flour. Here, I have used packaged rice flour, but homemade rice flour can also be used.
5. On low to medium-low heat, roast the rice flour. Stir often.
6. Roast rice flour till it becomes warm to touch.
7. Remove and keep aside in a mixing bowl.
8. In a small grinder, take the roasted urad dal. Add 1 tablespoon roasted chana dal. You can even skip roasted chana dal.
Roasted chana dal helps in making the Thattai light and crispy.
9. Grind to a fine powder.
Make Thattai Dough
10. To the bowl containing the rice flour, add the prepared and ground lentil flours.
11. Add the below listed herbs, spices and seasonings:
- 1 tablespoon chopped curry leaves or 10 to 12 chopped curry leaves
- ¼ teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder or as required
- 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
- ½ teaspoon salt or as per taste
You can even add 2 tablespoons fresh grated coconut or thinly sliced coconut (optional).
12. Mix the salt, spices and herbs with the flours to get an even mixture.
13. Now, sprinkle 2 tablespoons water and add 1 tablespoon butter. You can add 1 tablespoon ghee, instead of butter.
You can use both salted or unsalted butter. The butter can be cold or at room temperature.
14. With your fingertips, mix the butter with the flour. Mix very well.
15. Add 3 tablespoons water.
16. Gently mix and start bringing the mixture together.
17. Drain all the water from the soaked chana dal and add to the dough mix.
18. Mix and knead to a smooth, semi-soft dough or a slightly stiff dough. Add 3 to 4 tablespoons water or as required while kneading the dough.
I used about a total of 9.5 tablespoons water. Addition of water will depend on the texture and quality of rice flour. So, add in parts.
Do not make a soft dough as then it becomes difficult to shape and lift the Thattai. Do not make the dough too hard as then Thattu Vadai will not be crisp.
It will have a hard and dense texture. Also, check the taste of dough and add more salt if required. Cover and keep aside. Dough should not be sticky or pasty.
Tip 1: If dough becomes sticky, add some rice flour and knead.
Tip 2: If dough is dry and hard, sprinkle some water. Mix and knead.
Shape Thattu Vadai
19. Take a butter paper, parchment paper, zip-lock bag or a clean cotton napkin. Grease with some oil.
Also, keep oil for deep frying in a kadai or pan. Keep the heat to medium or medium-high. If using a cotton cloth or napkin, then no need to grease it.
20. Make small balls from the dough.
21. Place a dough ball on the greased parchment paper.
22. Press and flatten Thattai with your fingertips to a thin round. Spread some oil on your fingers while flattening them. Do not make them too thin and flat, as then you won’t be able to lift them.
23. Make 5 to 6 Thattai on the parchment paper. Make them as you go on frying. Thus, make one batch and add in the oil.
When this first batch is getting fried, make the second batch. But do keep an eye on the batch that is getting fried.
24. Check the temperature of oil by adding a tiny piece of the dough. If it comes up swiftly on top, the oil is hot enough.
25. Lift the Thattai gently from the paper. While lifting, lift the paper too slightly, as this helps to easily pull the Thattai from the paper.
Fry Thattai
26. Gently place Thattai rounds in the hot oil.
27. Begin to fry. Keep heat to medium or medium-high while frying.
28. When one side is crisp, then flip over each thattai.
29. Fry the second side till crisp. You can flip a couple of times for an even golden color and crispness.
30. Fry till crispy and crunchy. When the oils stops bubbling and sizzling, this means the Thattai is fried and done. Remove with a slotted spoon or spider spoon.
31. Place fried Thattai on kitchen paper towels.
32. As soon as it cools to room temperature, place in a steel box or jar. Make more Thattai this way in batches.
33. Serve Thattai to the deities if making for festivals. If making as an evening snack, serve with masala chai or filter coffee.
Dassana’s Recipe Tips
- Rice flour: You can use homemade Rice Flour, parboiled rice flour or packaged rice flour. If using packaged flour, make sure it is fresh and within its expiry date.
- Urad dal: You can replace the whole urad dal with the same quantity of urad dal flour. Add it directly to the rice flour while making the dough.
- Optional ingredients: Roasted chana dal flour helps make the Thattai lighter and crispier, but you can skip it. Fresh grated or thinly sliced coconut is also optional.
- Dough consistency: Add water gradually, as the quantity required will depend on the rice flour. Knead to a smooth, semi-soft dough that is neither sticky nor dry. If it becomes too soft, knead in a little rice flour. If it is hard or dry, sprinkle in some water and knead again.
- Amount of fat: Do not add more butter or ghee than specified, as excess fat can cause the Thattai to break while frying. For a vegan version, use oil or vegan butter.
- Gluten-free option: Regular compounded asafoetida may contain wheat flour. Use certified gluten-free asafoetida or leave it out to make gluten-free Thattai.
- Shaping: Flatten the dough balls on greased parchment paper, butter paper or a zip-lock bag. You can also use a clean cotton cloth without greasing it. Shape them into thin, even rounds, but not so thin that they become difficult to lift.
- Frying: The oil should be moderately hot before you add the Thattai. Fry on medium to medium-high heat, adjusting the heat when needed so that they cook through without browning too quickly. Turn them as required and fry until crisp, golden and the bubbling in the oil stops.
Step by Step Photo Guide Above
Thattai Recipe | Thattu Vadai
Ingredients
For Roasting
- 1 tablespoon (10 to 11 grams) urad dal
- 1 cup (160 grams) Rice Flour
More Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon (5 grams) roasted chana dal
- 1 tablespoon butter (salted or unsalted) or ghee
- 1 tablespoon or 10 to 12 curry leaves – chopped
- 1 tablespoon chana dal – soaked in hot water for 30 minutes
- ¼ teaspoon asafoetida powder (hing)
- ½ teaspoon salt – or add as required
- 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder – or add as required
- 2 tablespoons fresh grated coconut – optional
- 9 to 10 tablespoons water – or add as required
- oil – as required for deep frying
Instructions
Preparation
- Firstly rinse and then soak chana dal in hot water for 30 minutes.
- Heat a heavy kadai or pan. Keep the heat to low or medium-low. Add urad dal (husked and whole or split black gram).
- Lightly roast urad dal for 1 to 2 minutes. Urad dal need not be browned. Remove and set aside.
- In the same kadai or pan, add rice flour.
- On a low to medium-low heat stirring often, roast the rice flour till it becomes warm to touch.
- Remove and set aside in a mixing bowl.
- In a small grinder, take the roasted urad dal. Also add roasted chana dal. Roasted chana dal can be skipped too if you do not have it.
- Grind to a fine powder.
Making Dough
- In the bowl containing the rice flour add the ground lentil flours.
- Add chopped curry leaves, asafoetida powder, red chilli powder, white sesame seeds and salt. You can even add freshly grated coconut or thinly sliced fresh coconut (optional).
- Mix the salt, spices and herbs with the flours evenly.
- Now sprinkle 2 tablespoons water and add 1 tablespoon butter or ghee in the flour mixture. You can add opt to add ghee instead of butter. The butter can be cold or at room temperature.
- With your fingertips mix the butter with the flour. Mix thoroughly.
- Add 3 tablespoons water.
- Gently mix and start bringing the mixture together.
- Drain all the water and then add the soaked chana dal to the dough mix.
- Mix and then knead to a semi-soft dough. Add 3 to 4 tablespoons more water or as required while kneading the dough. I added about a total of 9.5 tablespoons of water. Addition of water will depend on the texture and quality of rice flour. So add in portions.
- Tip – avoid making a soft dough as then it becomes difficult to shape and lift the thattai rounds. Do not make the dough too hard as then thattai will not be crisp. It will have a hard and dense texture. Also check the taste of dough and add more salt if needed. Cover and keep aside.
Assembling & Shaping
- Take a butter paper or parchment paper or a ziplock bag or a clean cotton napkin. Grease the butter paper or parchment paper with some oil. Keep oil for deep frying in a kadai or pan. Keep the heat to medium or medium-high.
- Make small balls from the dough.
- Place a dough ball on the greased parchment paper.
- Press and flatten thattai with your fingertips to a thin round. Spread some oil on your fingers while flattening them. Do not make them too thin and flat as then you cannot lift them.
- Make 5 to 6 thattai on the parchment paper.
- Check the temperature of oil by adding a tiny piece of the thattai dough. If it comes up swiftly on top, the oil is hot enough.
Frying Thattai
- Lift the prepared thattai round gently from the paper.
- Gently place in the hot oil.
- Begin to fry thattai on a medium or medium-high heat.
- When one side is crisp, then flip over each thattai with a slotted or spider spoon.
- Fry the second side till crisp. You can flip a couple of times to get an even golden color and crispness.
- Fry thattai till crispy and crunchy. When the oil stops bubbling and sizzling, this means the thattai is fried well.
- Remove fried thattai with a slotted spoon and place on kitchen paper towels.
- When frying the first batch of thattai, shape the second batch and keep them ready. However do keep an eye on the batch of the thattai that is being fried. This way make all thattai in batches.
- As soon as the thattai cools at room temperature, place them in a steel box or jar.
- Serve thattai to the deities. If making as an evening snack, then serve with chai or filter coffee.
Dassana’s Notes
- Amount of asafoetida (hing) can be reduced if you want.
- Check taste of dough and add more salt if required.
- Roasted chana dal can be skipped. Though it helps in making the thattu vadai lighter and crispy.
- Homemade rice flour can be used. Parboiled rice flour can also be used.
- Amount of water to be added will depend on the texture of flour. So add in parts and knead.
- You need to get a semi-soft dough. Do not make dough soft as then difficult to shape and lift. Do not make dough too hard as then thattai will not be crisp. The texture will become hard and dense.
- Fry thattai in oil till it stops bubbling. Fry on medium flame till crisp and crunchy.
- Use parchment or butter paper or a ziplock bag. Spread some oil on the parchment paper. Press thattai dough balls with your fingertips. Do not make very thin as then you cannot lift it up.
- For a gluten free thattai, skip asafoetida.
- To make a vegan thattai, add oil instead of butter or ghee. You can use vegan butter too.
- If dough becomes too soft, add some rice flour.
- If dough looks dry or hard, sprinkle some water.
Nutrition
Thattai recipe from the blog archives was first published on 2019.
On this Diwali, I’m going to try this recipe. 🙂
That’s wonderful. Do give it a try this Diwali, I’m sure you’ll enjoy making and sharing the thattai. 🙂
Tried making thattai with your recipe and it turned out great. Thanks!! I always refer your recipes with full trust. Thanks a lot!!
Great and thanks for the trust. Means a lot to me. Most welcome.
Tried this today. Came out exceedingly well. Didn’t add the coconut though.
Great to know and thanks for sharing the feedback. Coconut can be given a skip.
You are my favourite…all your recipes are easy to make ..simple
thanks so much bharti ❤️????