Seedai aka cheeda: Enjoy the Pongal special snack with evening tea

A traditional savoury from Tamil Nadu, seedai or cheeda is prepared during festivals like Pongal to celebrate harvests, as an offering to deities, and more. The bite-sized, crunchy balls are perfect for your evening tea. What about preparing a batch to celebrate this year's Pongal, in solidarity with our neighbouring state? Here's the recipe:

Ingredients
1 cup rice flour
2 tbsp urad dal
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 pinch of asafoetida
1/2 tsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2-3 finely chopped green chilies
Salt to taste
Water, as needed
Oil, for deep frying

Preparation
In a pan, dry roast urad dal on medium heat
Once l it turns golden brown, allow it to cool
Once cool, grind it into a fine powder
In a bowl, mix rice flour, sesame seeds, cumin seeds, chopped green chilies, urad dal powder, asafoetida, and salt
Add butter to the mix
Rub it into the mixt to form a crumbly texture
Add water little by little to the mix, knead it into a smooth, firm dough
Take small portions of the dough, roll them into small, smooth balls
Heat oil in a pan and drop the seedai into the hot oil
Fry in batches, until they turn golden brown
Once fried, remove the seedai from the oil
Cool them well before storing them in an airtight container