CHEGODILU

 Chegodilu, are a traditional snack from Telangana. It is spicy, crispy deep-fried snack made with rice flour and dry spices. And specially made for festivals like Krishnashtami, Tholi Ekadasi and Makara Sankranti. And Makara Sankranti is a major festival in Telangana is celebrated with reverence and grandeur. The womenfolk at home start prepping for Sankranti Palaharalu(snacks in Telugu). In Telangana, we make Sakinalu, Karam sakinalu, chegodilu, garelu, nuvvula laddu, ariselu, murukulu, yapakayalu, and many more for Sankranti.

What all ingredients do we need?

The base ingredients we need to make chegodilu are Rice flour, chili powder, salt, sesame seeds, cumin seeds, carom seeds, and water. The recipe may vary with region and family. In Telangana, some people add onion, garlic, and chili paste to the dough. And in our family recipe, it doesn’t contain any garlic or onion. Chegodi is one such versatile snack that we can customize to our taste preference.

What rice flour can we use for this recipe?

Any rice flour, store-bought or homemade anything will work for this recipe. You can also make rice flour at home, just grind some rice in a blender and use a fine sieve to get smooth rice flour. And usually back at home, my Amma used to get our rice flour milled locally, and we use DODDU BIYYAM for these kind of rice flour based snacks. 

Doddu biyyam or coarse whole rice are distributed as part of PDS or ration rice in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The snacks made using this rice flour yields utterly crispy and delicious snacks. But, you can use store-bought rice flour and it works just fine. Also, feel free to substitute the white rice flour with brown rice flour and red rice flour. 

Detailed process for making perfect chegodilu

First we bring the water to a rolling boil, and we add the rice flour to the boiling water, which helps in steaming the flour. This step helps in making the dough more pliable, then we knead the dough and divide it into smaller portions. And using a small amount of rested dough, we roll it into a log and shape them into bangle-shaped rings. I have learned this method from my mother and it results in crispy chegodilu every single time.

One more method is adding the hot water into the mixing bowl directly, later add spices, sesame seeds, and knead until smooth and pliable. Although both methods result in perfectly crisp chegodilu, I tend to use the one I grew up watching.

Making these snacks takes me back to my childhood days every single time. I remember how amma used to engage us by giving us a small amount of dough to make chegodilu. Using a steel plate as a rolling surface, we roll and shape them into small bangle-shaped rings. My brother and I used to have a fun competition among us about how many we make. 

How does a ideal chegodi must taste like ?

As every family has their own variation of chegodilu, the ideal consistency of chegodi must be crispy yet not hard, shouldn’t be soft at all and with every bite you should get the even crunch.

The store bought ones are usually just spicy and no flavor at all. And the texture would be either too hard or too soft or some would just turn powdery when crushed by hand. As I’ve grown up eating them from a very young age, I could easily distinct the texture and taste of a perfect chegodi from an average one. And not just tasting them, I had lend a helping hand for amma while making chegodilu. I have given a detailed method below with measurements and process, if you follow the recipe to the T, I’m sure you would not be disappointed. 

Any other names and variations of chegodilu?

In Telangana, people call this snack as chegodilu, ringulu. In Andhra, they add soaked moong dal that adds a nice texture. And in Karnataka, a similar version of chegodi is made and known by KODUBALE. While in southern Maharashtra, these are known by Kadbole. 

Some tips and suggestions to follow to make perfect chegodilu

1. Adding the rice flour to boiling water helps in steaming the flour, which helps in making the dough more smooth, pliable and less cracks.
2. If you are making in large quantity please work with smaller portions and keep the dough covered at all the times. Else it tends to turn dry.
3. Take small portion into a separate bowl, add water little by little and knead until smooth and pliable. 
4. For extra flavor and spice add onion and garlic paste. It lends a beautiful spicy flavor.
5. You can modify the sesame seeds quantity according to your taste preference.
6. Do not overcrowd the pan with too many chegodilu at a time, fry them in small batches for even cooking.
7. Do not make the chegodilu too thin, else they will turn too hard after frying. 
8. Fry the chegodilu on medium heat for uniform cooking, else they’ll turn brown and taste burnt.
9. When you add the raw chegodilu into hot oil, you will notice the sizzling and bubbles. As they cook, the bubbles and sizzling start to disappear gradually. That’s when you can remove the chegodilu from the pan.
10. Just when the chegodilu taken out of oil, they will be soft when they’re still hot. Check the consistency when the chegodilu are completely cool down.

Checkout more festive food treats from my blog.

Penilu

Chakralu

Shakkarpara

Motichoor laddu

Shegala payasam

Sabudana payasam

Palm jaggery whole wheat biscuits

 If you’ve tried this recipe and loved it, I’d love to hear your feedback by tagging your photo and share it with #mycurryveda on Instagram @mycurryveda  or on Facebook . Also follow @taste.of.telangana on Instagram for more traditional recipes, culture and stories.