Crunchy Snack-Chegodilu/FingerRings

These days hardly we find time and patience to prepare snacks at home, just drop into a grocery store and pick them up. In my childhood days, summer vacations were fun as Mom and grandmom used to make variety of sherbets, snacks like Murukulu, chekkalu, bajjilu, biscuts, and a whole list of sweets. It's peak summer time in Hyderabad, India, and with kids of all relatives at home, we made these recently. I wish I had taken few more pictures of making these.
Chegodilu happens to be my brother's favorite snack and for a very long time, I was under a impression that these yummy, crunchy snacks cannot be prepared at home. After my marriage, my sister-in-law taught me how to make this and from then, I tried to master this dish. Few simple, basic steps and these awesome healthy snacks are ready. I call them healthy because, its made with Moong dal and Rice flour. Moong dal cools the body and digests easily, same with rice flour. Jeera helps in digestion and enhances the taste.

Ingredients
2 cups rice flour
1/4 cup Maida or All purpose flour
1/2 cup moong dal
1 spoon butter/Margarine/Oil
1 spoon jeera
1 spoon garam masala powder
1/2 spoon Red chilli powder Salt as per taste
Oil to Fry

Method
1.) In a bowl heat 2 cups of water and bring it to a boil. Add salt, jeera and moong dal to the boiling water.
2.) Set the bowl with hotwater aside and allow it to cool well.
3.) After the water cools, add rice flour, maida, warm oil or butter or margarine, garam masala, red chilli powder. Adding oil or butter will help the chegodi to be soft and tasty.
4.) Mix them well, take care that no lumps are formed, you should mix it like chappati atta. It should be easy to make small rounds out of the atta.
5.) Make small rounds and roll them into long threads and attach the ends. It should form like a rings. ( Wish had pictures of these... :( )
6.) Heat oil and deep fry them

Option: If you dont like the taste of Moong dal, you can add sesame seeds. If you don't add either of them also, it tastes good.

Mysore Bondas-Spongy,softy,tasty Snack

I have been too lazy to post any blogs as I was busy traveling. Excuse me for the delay.
To make up for the laziness and long absence, I'm sharing my personal favorite dish with all of you.Mysore Bonda is one dish that tops my favorite list of snacks. Strangely, it shows up in my brother's list too. Which is a very rare thing to happen.
My mother cooks it with great ease and expertise that it has become a family favorite.
The golden color, spongy texture and a delicious taste will make our mouth water.

The key trick to get the bondas spongy is to ferment it for atleast 4-5 hrs or add a pinch of baking soda.But, if soda is added it absorbs lot of oil. Needs very few ingredients to make these awesome, yummy bondas.

Ingredients

3 cups Maida
2 cups Yogurt (prefer Sour curd)
1 piece Ginger
5 Green Chillis
Coconut Pieces
Bunch of Cilantro

Oil to deep fry

Method

1.) Mix Maida with Sour curd. Careful, don't add water at all and mix it into a thick consistency.
Ferment the batter for minimum 4 hours.
2.) Grind Ginger, green chillies
3.) Mix Coconut pieces, cilantro and pinch of salt in the batter.
4.) Make small lumps of desired size and fry it in Oil.