Thatta: Prepare this crispy festival-special snack for Onam

Thatta is a crispy snack that is prepared during festivals like Onam and Deepavali. This is a traditional recipe in South India and it's easy to make as well. After heavy festival meals, you can have thatta and team it up with tea for a joyous evening snack. Here's how to make it at home.

Ingredients
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cups roasted chana dal (powdered)
½ cup urad dal (dry roasted and powdered)
1 tbsp ghee
¼ tsp seeds of dried chillies
1 tsp asafoetida powder
Salt as required
2 tbsp roasted chana dal
2 tbsp coconut shards
1 tbsp peanuts (finely chopped)
1 tbsp skin of dried chillies (finely chopped)
¾ cup water
Oil to fry

Preparation
Wrap the all-purpose flour in a piece of cloth and cook inside a steamer for at least half an hour
Transfer the cooked flour to another vessel and allow it to cool down
Remove any lumps in it
Sift the roasted chana dal powder and urad powder through a sieve
Add this to the flour
Into it, add ghee and mix together with your fingers
Grind the seeds of the dried chillies, asafoetida powder and salt into a smooth paste and add it to the flour mix
Now add the roasted chana dal, coconut shards, finely chopped peanuts and finely chopped skin of dried chillies and mix well
Pour some water and mix into dough
Make gooseberry-sized balls from it
Place each ball on a plantain leaf or a plastic sheet and spread it
Fry the thatta snacks until golden on both sides in hot oil.