Chakkara Rekulu | Crispy Sugar Poli | Easy Navaratri Sweets Recipes

When I started writing this post I was quite confused what I should name this sweet. 'Rekulu' in Telugu means 'Sheets' and as these polis are rolled as thin as a sheet  they got the same name or rather I would say that is what we call them at my place.It is called as 'Rekulu' at my place but I never saw any post on the web when I searched for this sweet.

This recipe is quite similar to the Sweet Diamonds but we prepare it in a different shape. We use chiroti rava to prepare the dough and that yields a very crisp poli/puri when deep fried, it actually comes out crispier than a papad. If your rolling skills are good then these polis are very easy to prepare and they can be prepared much ahead and hence it is ideal to serve as a prashad during Navaratri.We usually pair it with a namkeen or sundal and pack it in a polythene and give it in thambulam to the ladies who come for Haldi Kumkum during Navaratri.

If you want various Sundal recipes which can also be served as Prashad during Navratri, then check out this POST where I have posted several varieties of Sundal recipes.

If you are looking for various Poli recipes which can be prepared ahead and can be served as a prashad, then check out these recipes:

1. Halu Holige | Paal Poori | Paala Obabttu 
2. Garugu Hollige/ Hollige with rice flour-coconut filling
3. Til Poli | Nuvvula Bobbatlu
4. Sajjappa | Sojja Appalu | Halwa Puri
5. Shenga Holige | Groundnut Obbattu

Chakkara Rekulu | Crispy Sugar Polis:

Yields: 8-10 polis

Prep time: 15 mins | Cooking time: 25 mins | Total time: 40 mins

Cuisine: South Indian | Category: Sweets

Ingredients:

for poli/happala/puri:

1 cup Chiroti Rawa(very fine semolina)

1 tbsp Ghee

a pinch of Salt

Water,to mix 

Rice flour,to roll

to sprinkle:
1/3 cup Sugar
1/2 tsp Cardamom powder

Method:

• Grind sugar with the cardamom powder to a very fine powder and keep it ready.
• Take chiroti rawa in a wide bowl and add ghee and salt to it and mix it with finger tips.Add enough water and knead it into a stiff dough which should be similar to poori dough.
• Smear ghee on top of it and cover it with a lid and leave it aside for half an hour.

                      

• Take a very small gooseberry sized ball and roll it into a very thin roti of 8" diameter,almost as thin as a papad. Sprinkle rice flour while rolling which makes it quite easy to roll.This is very important step,roll it as thin as possible.   
  
             
• Fold the roti into half and press on the four points as shown in the figure below using a fore finger.This will make sure that it does not open up while frying.Fold it again at the center to get a triangular shapes puri.(I have used old set of photos which I used to prepare Paal Poli,hence the final fold is not shown in the picture,but you can get an idea by seeing the final product )

                                                 

• Roll all the happalas(puris) and spread them separately on a plate or paper.They do not take much time to fry and that is why you need to roll everything before you actually start frying.
• Heat oil in a kadai(big enough) to fry the happalas, add one happala(puri) at a time and deep fry on low-medium flame until they are crisp on both sides.drain them into a colander.
• Leave them for 2-3 mins and arrange them individually on a wide plate and sprinkle ground sugar powder liberally on the fried puris/polis on both the sides of the poli.
• Once they are cool store them carefully in a air-tight container.They stay good and crispy for 10-15 days.

Notes:

1. Chiroti rava is a very finer variety of rava(sooji) which is usually used in making Holiges.The polis which are made up of chiroti rava are more crispier and tastier.If you do not get access to chiroti rawa you can even grind the regular to a fine powder and use in the recipe or  replace with maida,but they would not be as crispier and tastier as the ones made with chiroti rava.One can even make the happalas with 1:1 proportion of chiroti rava and maida to make happalas.
2. These polis can be served with Gasgase Payasa and in that case you don't need to sprinkle sugar powder on top of it.

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