Pepper Thattai is a crispy, spicy snack made during festivals or for evening tea. These are thin rice flour discs which are flavored with pepper and fried till golden and crunchy. They are also called Milagu Thattai and they are simple to make but very satisfying. The pepper gives warm little kick and butter adds richness, it just melts in mouth.

These thattais are crisp outside and little nutty inside. The aroma of pepper, hing and curry leaves while frying makes kitchen smell so nice. They can be eaten right after frying or stored for later. They taste much better than store bought ones and are a comforting snack anytime.

About Pepper Thattai

Pepper Thattai is a South Indian snack rich in crunch and taste. The dough is soft and easy to press thin which helps to get crispy thattais when fried. The pepper gives mild spicy flavor and chana dal gives small crunchy bites here and there. Butter makes the thattai have a soft crunch and adds nice flavor too.

The mixture of rice flour, fried gram dal powder and spices gives that authentic taste that reminds of festive snacks from childhood. The smell of curry leaves and hing while frying is so lovely and fills the kitchen with nice aroma.

This recipe is easily customizable, you can adjust pepper according how spicy you want. You can try a pinch of red chili powder for extra heat. You can add some sesame seeds for extra crunch. Every family has its own small twist to this recipe, and that what makes homemade thattai special.

I usually make this few days before festivals. Pressing each thattai thin and watching it puff little while frying is satisfying. Once cooled they turn perfectly crisp and stay like that for days.

Pepper Thattai Ingredients

• Rice flour - I have used regular rice flour as the base. It makes the dough soft and gives crisp thattais after frying. You can even mix little idli rice flour if you like more texture.
• Fried gram dal - I grind them to a fine powder and added it to the dough. This adds a nutty taste and makes thattais light and crunchy.
• Pepper - I crushed whole pepper coarsely. This gives nice aroma and mild heat. You can increase or decrease as you prefer.
• Butter - I added little at room temperature. It makes the dough smooth and adds rich flavor. You can use ghee.
• Chana dal - I soaked them for few minutes before adding it. This gives small crunchy bites in every thattai. You can skip if not available but I like that texture.
• Hing - I used a small pinch for aroma. It gives that authentic South Indian flavor.
• Curry leaves - I added few along with pepper. This adds a nice aroma and flavor. You can use dry leaves too.
• Oil - I used for deep frying. It gives that perfect crisp golden texture. You can either use groundnut or sunflower oil, both work fine.

Similar Recipes

• Kara Boondi
• Ribbon Pakoda
• Omapodi
• Mullu Murukku
• Thattai

How to make Pepper Thattai Step by Step

1.Take rice flour in the mixing bowl. Grind fried gram dal (pottukadalai) in a mixer to a fine powder.

2.Add it to rice flour. Then add whole pepper and curry leaves in the mixer jar and grind it to a coarse mixture, Set aside.

3.Soak chana dal for 10 minutes. Now to the mixing bowl add chana dal and pepper mixture with salt and butter. Mix well.

4.Now add water little by little to form a smooth dough. The dough should not be too tight. Take a lemon sized ball, I used 1 tablespoon measure to get all the balls of even size.

5.Make few balls, then take a plastic sheet grease it with oil. Keep a ball, place another plastic sheet over it then press it with a flat surfaced bowl.

6.Prick with fork to avoid puffing up. Carefully remove it from the plastic sheet. Flatten as thin as possible only then you will get crisp thattais.

7.Heat oil, carefully add 2-3 thattais at a time, deep fry till golden brown. This will take time to cook at least 3 minutes for each batch so fry patiently in low medium flame. Then drain in tissue paper.

Cool down and Store in airtight container.

Expert Tips

• Press thin - I always press dough as thin as possible between greased sheets. This helps to make thattais crisp. If thick, they turn chewy.
• Prick before frying - I prick each thattai with fork so that it does not puff up while frying. This makes them cook evenly.
• Frying - I fry them in low medium flame. If flame is high, outside turns brown fast but inside stays soft.
• Dough - Make sure the dough is soft and not tight. This helps to press it easily and prevents cracks.
• Cool before storing - I always cool the thattais completely before keeping them in the jar. This keeps them crisp for long.
• Butter quantity - Do not skip butter. I have tried without once, but thattais become hard. So little butter gives perfect crispness.

Serving and Storage

Serve Pepper Thattai as tea time snack or just as crunchy bite anytime. It also goes well with sweets during festivals. Store them in airtight container. It stays fresh and crisp for 2 to 3 weeks. I usually make small batch so I can enjoy.

FAQS

1.Can I skip curry leaves?

Yes you can skip, but I feel it adds very nice aroma and taste, so I always add.

2.Can I use regular dal instead of fried gram dal?

You can, but roasted fried gram dal gives better taste and lightness.

3.Can I make dough ahead?

Yes, you can prepare dough few hours earlier and keep in fridge covered.

4.Can I bake this recipe?

Frying gives best crisp texture. You can either bake or fry, bith can work but the flavor will be slightly different.

5.How thin should I press them?

I press them very thin, almost like papad thickness. The thinner you press, the crispier they turn out.

If you have any more questions about this Pepper Thattai Recipe do mail me at sharmispassions@gmail.com. In addition, follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest ,Youtube and Twitter .

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Pepper Thattai Recipe (Milagu Thattai Recipe)

Pepper Thattai is a crispy, spicy snack made during festivals or for evening tea. These are thin rice flour discs which are flavored with pepper and fried till golden and crunchy. They are also called Milagu Thattai and they are simple to make but very satisfying. The pepper gives warm little kick and butter adds richness, it just melts in mouth.

Course Snack

Cuisine Indian

Keyword diwali dishes, diwali recipes, diwali snacks, diwali snacks recipes, easy diwali recipes, easy diwali snacks, fry, fry recipes, rice flour recipes, snack recipes

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 15 Thattai

Calories 48kcal

Author Sharmilee J

Ingredients

• 1 cup rice flour
• 2 tablespoon fried gram dal
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• ¾ teaspoon butter at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon chana dal
• 1 tiny pinch hing
• few curry leaves
• salt to taste
• oil to deep fry

Instructions

• Take rice flour in the mixing bowl.
• Grind fried gram dal in a mixer to a fine powder. Add it to rice flour.
• Then add whole pepper and curry leaves in the mixer jar and grind it to a coarse mixture, set aside.
• Soak chana dal for 10mins.
• Now to the mixing bowl add chana dal and pepper mixture with salt and butter. Mix well.
• Now add water little by little to form a smooth dough. The dough should not be too tight.
• Take a lemon sized ball, I used 1 tablespoon measure to get all the balls of even size.
• Make few balls, then take a plasic sheet grease it with oil. Keep a ball, place another plastic sheet over it then press it with a flat surfaced bowl.
• Prick with fork to avoid puffing up. Carefully remove it from the plastic sheet. Flatten as thin as possible only then you will get crisp thattais.
• Heat oil, carefully add 2-3 thattais at a time, deep fry till golden brown. This will take time to cook at least 3mins for each batch so fry patiently in low medium flame.
• Then drain in tissue paper.
• Cool down and store Pepper Thattai in an airtight container.

Notes

• Press thin - I always press dough as thin as possible between greased sheets. This helps to make thattais crisp. If thick, they turn chewy.
• Prick before frying - I prick each thattai with fork so that it does not puff up while frying. This makes them cook evenly.
• Frying - I fry them in low medium flame. If flame is high, outside turns brown fast but inside stays soft.
• Dough - Make sure the dough is soft and not tight. This helps to press it easily and prevents cracks.
• Cool before storing - I always cool the thattais completely before keeping them in the jar. This keeps them crisp for long.
• Butter quantity - Do not skip butter. I have tried without once, but thattais become hard. So little butter gives perfect crispness.

Nutrition

Serving: 25g | Calories: 48kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.4g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 23mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 7IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 0.2mg

The post Pepper Thattai | Milagu Thattai appeared first on Sharmis Passions.

 Nei Appam is one of the most important Neivedhiyams / Prasadams made during Janmashtami,  Ganesh Chaturthi,  Karthigai,  Avani Avittam and lot more poojas or rituals like Ganapathi Homam, Bhagavathi Sevai etc .

Instant version can be made using rice flour,but this is a classic version by soaking and grinding rice along with cardamom, ripe bananas and jaggery.  Adding grated coconut or slivered coconut bits gives a nice taste and texture to the appam. 

I add a teaspoon of udad dhall while soaking the rice, this gives a nice texture and softness to the Neiappams . By adding the udad dhall , we can avoid the use of cooking soda . Udad dhall automatically gives the appam the softness and fluffy texture. 

We can using melted jaggery syrup while grinding the appam batter or if we are using good quality powdered jaggery without dust, then we can add it to the rice while grinding. 

Grinding jaggery with rice is an easier way to seamlessly blend the rice and jaggery without lumps .

For Krishna Jayanthi, it is said that if we are unable to make  elaborate prasadams for Krishnar , we can offer 

Navaneetham (Butter + sugar candy)

Nei appam

Aval Payasam (Poha Kheer)

Thayir Aval / Gopalkaala (Dahi Poha)

Paal / Milk.

Ingredients 

Procedure

• Wash and soak the rice and udad dhall for 3 to 4 hrs
• Drain the water and add the soaked rice to the blender along with roughly chopped banana and cardamom seeds .
• Grind it to a fine paste adding water in batches. 
• If using organic jaggery powder ,add the jaggery powder to the blender and grind it to a smooth paste resembling Dosa batter .
• If you are doubtful about the jaggery,melt it using half cup water and strain it .
• Use this strained jaggery water for grinding the appam batter.
• Transfer the batter to a mixing bowl ,add a tsp of grated coconut or slivered coconut bits if you like .
• Beat it well with a whisk or spoon to incorporate air . The batter will feel light . Rest it for 30 to 40 mins
• Heat the appam pan , pour ghee into the cavities .
• Once the ghee has heated up,pour the appam batter into the cavities and cook on medium flame until the underside cooks well.
• Flip it over gently and let the other side cook until crisp and brown.
• Take it off from the appam pan and repeat the same steps for the entire batch of batter. 
• Tasty and delicious Nei appam is ready. 
• If you like you could also make Jackfruit Nei appam and Watermelon Nei appam  also .

Pinterest Link - https://pin.it/4r11xefoZ

 Vella Seedai or sweet jaggery fritter balls are an essential prasad /offering made for Gokulashtami/ Krishna jayanthi to celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna .

We make two types of seedai; Uppu seedai (savory)  and Vella seedai (sweet) along with various other favorites of Lord Krishna to be offered on the special day when we all rejoice and celebrate lord Krishna's birth .

To know how we celebrate Krishna Jayanthy in a typical Tambrahm (Tamil Brahmin) house hold head over to my post, Krishna Jayanthy Celebrations where you can also find link to all the special recipes we make for the big festival .

Making seedai is an art and requires a little expertise and caution while making it . With practice we can easily master this and become a pro .

I am giving all tips and tricks to make a fail proof seedai so that even beginners and newbies can make it with an ease . These tips are applicable for flours which are either home made or store bought. 

Traditionally rice flour and udad dhall flour at prepared at home for purpose of maintaining hygiene and quality but now a days we get good quality ready made flours so we can use that even. 

In this recipe, I have used store brought rice flour and  udad dhall flour to make the recipe, thus making it easy for working women and those who are pressed for time.   

Points to keep in mind 

• Roast the rice flour in a dry pan until it feels warm. The flour should be roasted just until you can feel the warmth no need for the flour to change color . Sieve the flour well through a sieve once it cools down.
• Roast the udad dhall flour the same way and sieve it. If you are unable to find ready made udad dhall flour,  take 1 cup of udad dhall and dry roast in a pan until it turn crisp ,cool it and then blend into a fine powder using the blender . Sieve it to get a really fine powder without any grits . 
• Melt the jaggery in hot water and strain it to remove any impurities .
• Sieving the flours and jaggery syrup is very important as even a small particle or grit can cause the seedais to burst in the oil .

To know how to make Uppu Seedai and also on how to roast the flours check the video link below 

Ingredients 

Method

• Take a wide mixing bowl and add the sieved rice flour and udad dhall flour along with the sesame seeds and grated coconut. 
• Meanwhile, heat the melted jaggery in a pan and let it come to a rolling bowl.we donot need ant string consistency.  When the jaggery is boiling add in the cardamom powder to this.
• Pour this hot jaggery syrup over the flours and mix it gently with a spoon so that the syrup gets incorporated well with the flours.
• Now add the melted butter and gently with your hands knead a soft and pliable dough.most of the times the jaggery syrup is enough to knead the dough but incase if you feel the dough is dry , sprinkle some warm water and knead until its firm but soft.  Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for 30 mins.
• Heat oil in a kadai and start rolling small balls from the dough . The balls must be crack free and the same time not rolled very tight. 
• If you roll it tight there is a chance of the seedais bursting in oil . Grease your palms with ghee while you begin to roll the balls .
• When the oil is heated, reduce flame to medium and first drop one ball into the oil . It must not disintegrate in the oil. Incase it disintegrates means the moisture content is more . To fix this ,sprinkle some rice flour and knead the dough again until the dough feels dry and firm . Donot panic. 
• Once the dough is of righr consistency, drop the balls into the oil carefully and fry on medium flame by occasionally splashing oil over the seedais,this will prevent the seedais from bursting. 
• Fry until the oil stops hissing and the seedais have turn nice and brown. You can see cracks on the seedais once they are fried. This indicates that the seedais are perfectly done both from the inside and outside.
• Carefully take it off from the hot oil and let them cool completely before you can store in a dry container. 

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