Chikki (also known as Gajak) is a sweet, dry snack with from North Indian origins, is traditionally made with jaggery or sugar. This can be stored for a few months, and is a the snack most commonly consumed in the winter months. There are several different varieties of chikki in addition to the most common groundnut (peanut) chikki. Each variety of chikki is named after the ingredients used, which include puffed or roasted Bengal gram dhal (chana dhal), sesame, puffed rice, or khobra (desiccated coconut), and other nuts such as almonds, cashews and pistachios.
Memories of Lonavala Chikki came gushing as I made this. No trip to Lonavala was ever complete without a stop at Maganlal Chikkiwala. Most of my family members and friends and extended family will remember our weekend trips to Lonavala. Those were fun days!! Today it is not Lonavala, but Los Altos Chikki made in VeeVaasari!! Quite a simple recipe to make, but very tasty and once you get the hang of it, you will surely be making it again and again!
Chikki
Recipe:
Ingredients: • 1 and 1/4 cup raw peanuts (200 grams)
• 1 cup jaggery (200 grams)
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ghee
• Bowl of cold water (to test the syrup)
Steps:
Dry roast the peanuts on low , making sure not to burn them. Roast well till rawness is gone. Roast till it is crisp and we can just rub off the skins.
You can just put them in a colander and gently rub the skins off and sieve them off. Take off the skins and keep aside.
Use a rolling pin and crush the peanuts just slightly. Make sure they are not crushed to a powder, you want them just split into two.
Grease a parchment paper or foil or sheet and keep aside.
Put the jaggery and ghee into a pan. Heat and melt on low flame. Stir continuously for about 4 minutes, until it starts bubbling and gets thick.
Test the syrup for doneness by putting a few drops into a bowl of cold water. Wait for a few seconds, and feel it and if it is soft ball consistency, it is not ready, stir some more.
Once the syrup is a crystal, or crackling consistency, it is ready. The test is that once you put it into the water, you should be able to crack to break it. (Soft Crack consistency on the candy thermometer)
At this point, turn off the heat, and add the pinch of soda, stir it well until light and smooth in texture.
Turn the heat on to low again and add the nuts and mix quickly. Turn the heat off and transfer to the greased parchment/foil/sheet.
Spread well with a greased spoon. Then roll lightly with a greased rolling pin to spread it evenly. You may also cover it with another greased parchment and roll over it to a chikki thickness.
While it is warm, mark it with a knife into squares. It is hard to do this after it cools, then you will have to break it and it won't cut into beautiful squares.
When it is cool, in 15 minutes, break off the squares and store in a container and enjoy for a month or more. The only challenge is to make it last for that long!! Enjoy!
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