As festive seasons approach, the air fills with the aroma of traditional sweets and savories, each with its unique place in our culinary heritage. One such delightful treat is the Jaggery Cheedai, also known as Sweet Cheedai or Vella Cheedai. This crispy, golden-brown delicacy is a quintessential part of festivals like Krishna Janmashtami in South India. The blend of jaggery, rice flour, and coconut makes this sweet a perfect offering to the divine and a treat for the taste buds.
Cheedai, in both its savory and sweet forms, has a long-standing connection with religious festivals, particularly Krishna Janmashtami. It is believed that Lord Krishna, known for his love of butter and sweets, relishes this crunchy delicacy. The act of preparing Cheedai is also seen as a ritual, where devotion meets culinary expertise. Vella Cheedai, with its rich flavor of jaggery, symbolizes sweetness in life and devotion to the deity.
These addictive little treats are perfect with a cup of hot coffee or tea. They can be stored in an airtight container for several days, making them an excellent make-ahead snack.
Ingredients:
- Rice flour - 1 cup
- Grated jaggery - ¾ cup
- Roasted ured dal powder - 1 tsp.
- Butter - 2 tsp.
- Cardamom powder - ¼ tsp.
Method:
- Sieve the rice flour twice dry roast it to a light pink color and cool.
- Dry roast the ured dhal till golden brown and cool and grind and sieve.
- Melt the jaggery in half a cup of water. Strain to remove impurities and let it cool down.
- Mix the rice flour and ured dhal powder and cardamom powder and mix well. Add the butter and mix well.
- Make a well in the centre and pour in the jaggery syrup. Knead well to make a soft dough.
- Roll into balls and keep aside.
- Heat the oil in a kadai for deep frying.
- When the oil gets heated, add the cheedais, a handful at a time and fry to a reddish brown color.
- Fry all the cheedais in the same way.
- Crunchy, sweet cheedais are ready for neivedhyam.
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