Indian
Gluten freeDalia chikki
Roasted chana and jaggery brittle
દાળિયાની ચીકી: roasted split chana set in jaggery caramel and rolled thin, for Uttarayan
For Uttarayan, the January kite festival, every Gujarati kitchen turns out trays of chikki, and dalia (roasted split chana, the yellow dal sold for chutneys) is the one that gets forgotten until someone tastes it. It is lighter and crunchier than peanut chikki, with a toasty, slightly savoury edge from the dal. It is all about the jaggery syrup. The common mistake is pulling the jaggery off too early; underdone syrup gives sticky, chewy chikki that never snaps. Chef's tip: drop a little syrup into cold water: when it sets hard and cracks cleanly (hard-crack stage), tip in the dalia straight away.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Serves
- 10
- Per serving
- 180 kcal
Ingredients
For the chikki
- 7 oz jaggerychopped
- 1 tbsp gheeplus extra for greasing
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
Tick what you have; the rest goes in the basket.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Grease the back of a steel plate or a worktop and a rolling pin with a little ghee. Warm 7 oz roasted split chana (dalia) in a dry pan for 2 minutes and keep it warm.
3 minStep 3: Cook on medium-low for 5–7 minutes, stirring, until it darkens a shade and a drop in cold water sets brittle and snaps (hard-crack stage).
7 minStep 4: Take off the heat, stir in ¼ tsp ground cardamom and 7 oz roasted split chana (dalia) quickly until coated.
1 minStep 5: Tip onto the greased surface and roll out at once to 5 mm while hot. Mark into squares with a knife.
3 minStep 6: Leave 10 minutes to set, then break along the marks and store airtight.
1 min
KrazyBadal
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Perfect for:Sankranti, Lohri & Pongal