Beyond Samosas and Vada: Try This Unique Crispy Snack from Telangana

_{Photo Credit: Facebook/Pusyami Sagar}South Indian snacks are delicious and you’ll agree that their distinct tastes and flavours really make them stand out. The cuisine of Telangana has a lot to offer. It uses a lot of millets, seasonal greens, lentils, cumin, and ginger which makes it healthy yet toothsome. People in Telangana love to savour spicy food and commonly use ingredients like tamarind, sesame seeds, chilies and asafetida to perk up their meals. One of the most popular snacks from Telangana that caught our fancy was Sarvapindi. Sarvapindi is an Indian crispy pancake which is enjoyed as an evening snack or even as breakfast.What is Sarvapindi?Sarvapindi is made of rice flour and peanuts and is traditionally cooked in copper utensils. According to Chef Shashidhar Vijapure, Head Chef, Park Hyatt Hyderabad, “Sarvapindi is the most popular snack in Telangana. Some people call it Tapala Attu or Tapala Chekka which refers to the rice flour dough (pindi) and the vessel used to prepare it (tapala). It is a savoury pancake with a crispy top layer. It is prepared with rice flour, peanuts, ginger, onions, curry leaves, chilli powder and sesame seeds.”
 
Looking back: History of SarvapindiChef Vijapure tells us, “ It is believed that a lady named Anasurya in Bollepally village invented this dish. Anasurya was craving something different during the rainy season which was light, healthy and could be made with minimal ingredients as she only had rice flour and oil at home. This is probably how she experimented with the ingredients and created a crunchy pancake and called it Sarvapindi. Later, she started selling this snack in the village which became famous for its simple taste and flavour.”Here’s a recipe to make the best Sarvapindi at home
 
Recipe by Chef Shashidhar Vijapure
 
Number of servings – 6
Preparation time – 60 minutes
Cooking time -10 minutesIngredients:Rice flour- 200 grams
Sesame seeds- 20 grams (Clean and pick dust particles)
Chana Dal- 50 grams (Wash and soak for 30 minutes)
Peanut-100 grams Toast and deskin
Cumin seeds- 5 grams
Curry leaves- few (Wash and shred)
Spring onion- 50 grams (Wash and chop)
Ginger- 10 grams (Peel, wash and finely chop)
Fresh coriander- 40 grams (Peel, Wash and finely chop including the onion bulb)
Peanut oil- 100 milliliter (Only for shallow frying)
Turmeric powder- 1 teaspoon
Red chilli powder- 1 teaspoon
Fresh green chilli 5-6 pieces
Salt to tasteNote – Rice flour should be freshly ground. It is suggested to use raw rice.Method:
1. In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients, vegetable, spices and herbs except the oil.
2. Add salt and mix well. Then, add water to make a soft playable dough. Do not knead for a long time and divide it into 6 portions.
3. On a thick bottomed pan put little oil, take one portion of the prepared dough and spread it gently on the pan using fingers. Make 5-6 small holes on the pancake using your fingers.
4. Keep the pan on low-medium flame. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes on one side only.
5. Remove from the flame and serve hot.