Nippat is a South Indian crispy rice snack that belongs to the Chakli/Kodubale family. I guess it has its origin in Karnataka, probably Maisuru/Bengaluru, because it is made in almost every household in these regions. They mix refined flour and gram flour with rice flour to make it. They also spice it up with red chilli powder. In Bengaluru and Shivamogga, they make Nippattu Masala, topping them with bhelpuri ingredients.
In the coastal belt of Karnataka, we make nippat, mixing roasted urad daal flour with rice flour and we add chopped green chillies and some other ingredients and make it mildly spicy. The smell of roasted urad daal flour gives it a lovely aroma and taste. Other cousin of Nippat in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts is the Rasa Vada, the bland crispy puffed snack that is relished with chana daal Madgane payasam.
As far as i remember, I have never seen my mother making nippat at home. She made fantastic chaklis and kodubale by soaking and grinding rice with coconut milk, mixing in butter and roasted urad daal flour and frying them in pure coconut oil. I have assisted her in making chaklis when I was young. Hence I remember the consistency of the dough that she made for chaklis those days. So I could come out with my own recipe for Nippat this time, which turned out a huge success, and the nippats literally crumble and melt in the mouth. The flavours are too good to describe!
I have savoured nippat from many outside sources, also at some homes. Almost all the bakeries and sweet shops stock this wonderful snack. Guzzlers love them as a snack to go with cocktails. When guests visit suddenly, nippat comes in handy, which we can serve along with some hot or cold beverage. I prefer to eat them with a cup of hot coffee.
The recipe given here makes 40 nippats of 2" diameter. You can make them smaller or bigger as per your wish. You can't make them too big, because the dough is so brittle, it breaks while patting/spreading before you fry them! If you make the dough too sticky, the nippats turn out hard. So please follow the recipe carefully and make them. At a later date I may update step by step pictures. A well made nippat must have tiny blisters appearing on it.
Happy monsoons, happy cooking!
Ingredients:
Rice Flour - 1 and 1/2 cups
Roasted Urad Flour(Hoorna) - 1/2 cup
Salt - 1/2 Tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 Tsp
Butter - 20 Gms
Roasted Peanuts without skin - 1 Tbsp, lightly pounded
Roasted Chana Daal(Huri Kadle/Putaani) - 1 Tbsp, lightly pounded
Black Sesame Seeds - 2 Tsp
Tiny Cashewnut Bits - 2 Tsp
Green Chillies - 3-4, finely chopped
Curry Leaves - 2 Sprigs, finely chopped
Asafotoeda solution - 1 Tbsp(or 1/2 tsp powder)
Water - About 3/4 cup
Oil(preferably coconut oil) - Approx 250 ml For deep frying
Method:
Mix rice flour, roasted urad flour, salt and red chilli powder together.
Add butter and rub with your fingers to shorten/crumble the flours.
Add the pounded peanuts, roasted pounded chana daal, sesame seeds and tiny cashew bits along with chopped green chillies, curry leaves and asafotoeda.
Add water little by little, knead well until you get a soft pliable dough.
Keep the dough covered for 30 minutes.
Make 40 small equal size balls.
Spread a plastic sheet, parchment paper or a banana leaf and grease it with oil.
Flatten the balls of dough with your palms, keep on the sheet, press them first with your fingers and then flatten with the back of your palm as thinly as possible(Around 2mm thick).
You should get roughly 2" diameter discs.
Heat oil in a thick bottomed kadai, simmer and fry 3-4 discs at a time on low heat until crisp and golden on both sides.
They will be well fried and ready in 3-5 minutes.
Drain and transfer to a tray lined with kitchen paper.
Allow the nippat to cool down to room temperature, and then store in an airtight jar.
You can keep them fresh for 2-3 weeks.
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