Pages

Tuesday, February 2, 2021

Mixed Nuts Chikki, a delicious & crunchy Indian styled brittle with mix of nuts and jaggery. Making chikki at home is super easy provided that the jaggery/sugar syrup consistency is perfect. Jaggery syrup consistency can make or break this recipe easily, so like any chikki making, you should be very attentive while making the syrup and extra caution when the syrup reaches its desired consistency. I'm not saying this to scare you, it's actually a caution warning, so you can make this chikki perfectly at your first attempt itself. 

Over the holidays, I bought a couple of bags of assorted shelled nuts and I kept it as it is without removing the shells for a month. Finally two weeks back, with the help of hand mortar & pestle, successfully removed all the shells(you might know this if you have followed me on IG where i shared this in story). Whenever i have a lot of dried nuts at home, i would usually make this Dates Nuts Ladoo which is sugar free, super easy to make and taste delicious. But this time, I wanted  to try something different and made this chikki. It turned out super good and makes a perfect after meal snack/sweet. 

Why do my chikki not harden ? 
Jaggery syrup consistency is the key to get the perfectly crunchy chikki. Make sure that the jaggery reaches hard ball stages before adding the nuts. 

Why does my chikki lose its crunchiness after a while ?
Make sure to store it in a airtight container for retain its crunchiness for a longer time. It stays well for weeks at room temperature.

Why do my chikki chewy? 
The jaggery syrup doesn't reach the required consistency. Again, make sure to check the syrup consistency and add the nuts.

Why doesn't my chikki hold the shape?
If the jaggery syrup consistency passes the stage of hardball then you can't spread the mixture and cut. 

What are the nuts I can use in this recipe?
You can add any nuts as you like . Peanuts, cashews, pistachios  and pecans , all taste good for this chikki. 

Are the seeds necessary for this chikki?
I personally like to add sesame and flax seeds in my chikki. If you don't like them you can skip it. 

What are the substitute for jaggery? 
Traditionally indian chikkis are made with jaggery ! Palm jaggery is a good alternate and gives nice flavor too. Sugar also works but i haven't tried it so far ! 

Hope, I have answered most of the questions that might have arisen while making chikki. If you have any other questions, leave it in the comment, and I will try to answer to the best of my knowledge.  
Lastly, many chikki recipes online call for equal amounts of jaggery and nuts. Personally I find that too sweet so I have been using 1/2 cup of tightly packed jaggery for a cup of nuts for years now and the jaggery syrup is just enough to hold the nuts and make an awesome treat without overpowering sweet. If you're a person who loves chikki but find the store bought chikkis are too sweet then i would highly recommend to give this ratio a try and i'm sure that you will absolutely love it. Now let's check out on how to make this mixed nuts chikki.  

Mixed Nuts Chikki | Dried Nuts Brittle

Preparation Time : 5 mins | Cooking Time : 15 minsServes :12 small pieces 
Recipe Category: Snacks | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Mixed Nuts Chikki, Dried Nuts Brittle, Indian Chikki, Almond Chikki, Walnut chikki, Snacks, Sweet Mixed Nuts Chikki, a delicious & crunchy Indian styled brittle with mix of nuts and jaggery.
Ingredients
Almonds - 1/2 cup
Walnuts - 1/2 cup
Sesame Seed - 1 tbsp
Flax Seed - 2 tbsp
Jaggery - 1/2 cup(tightly packed)
Water - 1/4 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Procedure
Heat a pan and add the almonds and walnuts, roast them till they are aromatic.
Next add the sesame seeds and flax seeds, roast till the flax seeds are started to pop.
Transfer into an another plate. In the same pan add the jaggery and water. Let the jaggery melts completely.
Then keep the flame in medium and let it boil till the jaggery syrup reaches hard ball consistency. Pour a few drops of  jaggery syrup into the cold water, the syrup settles at the bottom and you can able to roll the syrup as ball. The jaggery ball should be  hard and brittle, that's a correct stage.
Keep the flame in lowest possible immediately and add the roasted nuts and mix it well until all the nuts coated with jaggery syrup. Then transfer the mixture on to the parchment paper.
Spread it gently, cover it with another parchment paper and roll it with a rolling pin for a even layer.
Give it a rest for 3-4 mins and then cut into desired shape.  
Tasty and crunchy Mixed Nuts Chikki is ready. Let it cool completely and store it in a airtight container. It stays well for weeks in room temperature.

Pressing it with rolling pin gives the chikki glossy look on one side(because the syrup settled on one side) and rusty look on another side.  Look at the pic below  :-) 
Notes:
  • You can use any kinds of mixed nuts as per your liking. 
  • Make sure to sure good quality of jaggery which is used making syrup or pagu vellam.
  • Instead of jaggery, you can use palm jaggery too. 

No comments:

Post a Comment