Get ready for Janmashtami with home-made snacks

Uppu Seedai

Ingredients

• 1 cup rice flour
• 1 tablespoon urad dal flour
• 1 tablespoon grated coconut
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds
• Salt to taste
• Oil for deep frying

Instructions

• Roast 1 cup of rice flour until it's easy to draw a continuous line. Set aside to cool.
• Roast urad dal flour for 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Roast grated coconut until it dries out but does not turn golden. Set aside to cool.
• In a sieve, combine the roasted rice flour and urad dal flour. Sift well and discard any remains.
• In a bowl, combine the sieved flours, melted butter, sesame seeds, and roasted coconut. Mix well to combine.
• Gradually add water to the mixture, a little at a time, until you form a soft dough that is not sticky.
• Pinch a small portion of dough and roll it between your fingers to form a rough ball. It doesn’t need to be perfectly round.
• Alternatively, roll it using your palms. If the dough sticks apply oil to your fingers and palms. Mild cracks are acceptable as they help with drying out.
• Place the shaped balls on a dry cloth. Optionally, prick each ball with a toothpick to prevent bursting during frying.
• Heat oil in a deep pan. Test with one ball first. If it fries well without bursting, fry the remaining balls in batches.
• Fry a few balls, rolling them over until golden brown.
• Once fried, let the seedai cool completely. Store in a clean, dry, airtight container. They will keep well for up to a month.

Rava Seedai

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup rava (semolina)
• 2.5 tablespoons chutney dal (fried gram)
• 2 teaspoons grated coconut
• 2 teaspoons butter (at room temperature)
• 1/8 teaspoon hing (asafoetida)
• 1/8 teaspoon jeera (cumin) powder
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper powder
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
• Salt to taste
• Oil for deep frying

Instructions:

• Grind the rava to a fine powder and set aside.
• Grind the chutney dal to a fine powder and set aside.
• Dry roast the grated coconut until slightly browned and set aside.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the ground rava, chutney dal, butter, sesame seeds, hing, jeera powder, pepper powder, and roasted coconut. Mix well.
• Gradually add water, a little at a time, to form a dough. Be cautious; it will only take a few tablespoons of water.
• Let the dough rest for 30-45 minutes.
• Pinch small portions of the dough and roll them into small balls. Place the balls on a newspaper or clean cloth and let them rest for 10 minutes.
• Heat oil in a deep pan. Once hot, drop a few balls into the oil.
• Fry on low to medium flame, turning occasionally to cook evenly until golden brown.
• Use a slotted spoon to remove the seedai and drain on a kitchen towel.
• Allow the fried seedai to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.