Chegodilu-Chekodi - ICC (November) Challenge

Chegodilu / Chekodi is one of the popular snacks in Andhra. Another new recipe from Srivalli for the Indian Cooking Challenge for November’ 09. I was unaware of this recipe and also didn’t know how the final dish will look like as no pictures were specified. I was confused at first, so I decided to search the net and came across some clicks for chegodis / chegodilo and only then understood why Sri was calling them “ring murukku”. From the clicks, the chegodis looked crisp and yummy and so I started to prepare this tasty snack.

I prepared using the second of the two recipes as stated by Srivalli. The chegodis / chegodilu came out perfect and crisp. Here is the recipe, which I followed

Ingredients:

• Rice flour (chalguri) : 3/4 cup Maida / All purpose flour: 1/4 cup
• Ajwain: 1/2 tsp
• Red Chilli powder: 1/4 tsp (I used 1/2 tsp)
• Turmeric powder: a pinch
• Ghee: 2 tbsp
• Water: 1 cup
• Salt to taste
• Oil for deep frying

How to proceed:

1. Boil the water in a deep pan and add salt. When the water starts boiling, remove the pan from the fire.
2. Add ajwain, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and rice flour & maida. Stir well with a ladle to ensure that all the ingredients are mixed thoroughly.
3. Pour ghee, cover with a lid and leave aside for a few minutes. Once it cools, knead to form a smooth dough.
4. Take small portions of the dough and roll them like threads between your palms, bring the ends together and seal them to form small rings. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.
5. Heat oil in a deep frying pan, slide the prepared chegodis into it. Reduce heat and deep fry until well done. Remove from the oil and drain on absorbent tissues.
6. Allow to cool and store in airtight containers. Repeat with the rest of the chegodis.

Another way to prepare Chegodi / Chegodilu

Ingredients:

• Rice flour 1 cup
• Water 1 cup
• Split yellow dhal (moong dhal) 2 table spoons
• Cumin seeds 1 teaspoon
• Sesame seeds 1 teaspoon
• Chilli powder 1 teaspoon
• Ghee/ oil 1 tablespoon
• Salt to taste
• Oil for deep frying

How to proceed:

For the dough:

1. Soak moong dal in water for half an hour.Drain after soaking, just before adding to the water.
2. In a deep bottom pan, boil water. Add the salt, ghee and the drained moong dhal.
   Bring to a boil, allow to simmer and stir in the rice flour gradually. Keep stirring to achieve lump- free dough.
3. When the dough looks cooked (as in outer dough for kozhukkattais), switch the stove off.
4. Mix well and cover. Keep this aside until the dough cools down, say for about 15- 20 minutes.
5. Add to the dough the chilli powder, sesame seeds and cumin seeds. Mix them well.

Frying the chegodis:

1. Make small balls of the dough and roll them in ropes of about an inch and a half. Bring together the two ends of the rope and seal well.
2. Heat oil in a pan and once the oil is of optimum temperature, slide the prepared rope-rings into very hot oil. Fry only very few at a time.
3. Reduce the heat to low and fry the chegodis on both side until the sizzling of the oil subsides. Remove from the oil with slotted ladle and place them on absorbent tissues. Allow to cool and store in airtight containers.

Tips:

1. While moulding the chegodis, keep the rest of the dough covered. Let the dough not dry in the air. Take out just as much of the dough to prepare enough number of chegodis that will fry in the oil.
2. Keep oil on high heat when you are sliding the rings in and reduce the heat to low as soon as the chegodis bounce back to the surface of the oil. They have to be fried really well or you might end up with oily, soggy chegodis. Proceed with the entire dough.

All the fried chegodis came out crisp, a perfect snack to enjoy with a cup of tea / coffee.