Chakri: Small Crisp Spirals Pressed Into Oil
Three separate powders: rice flour, besan and fried gram powder. Dough that is mixed, not kneaded. Oil judged by a small test piece, and coils left alone for their first minute or two in the pan.
A small plate of golden coils, each one a ridged strand wound around itself, with flecks of sesame and red chilli in the crust. Swasthi Shreekanth, whose recipe card this article follows, suggests eating them with a hot cup of masala chai, and that is the scene this snack fits best: a crunchy spiral beside a cup of tea.
Chakri is one of several names for this snack. Searching for it brings up chakli, chakralu and murukku too, along with flour blends that do not quite match, different ways to work the press, and differing advice on how hot the oil should be. This article settles on one complete written recipe card, Swasthi Shreekanth's Chakli (Chakralu), and keeps its amounts, its order and its yield of 14 pieces as written. It is one version of the snack and not the formula every household uses for chakri, nor a recipe that belongs only to Gujarat. For more dishes from the same country, see our India page.
Sekai Gohan has not kitchen-tested this recipe. Amounts, steps and times come from the author's recipe card and are kept in its own cup, tablespoon and teaspoon units. Those units have not been converted to grams or millilitres because the card does not say which cup system it uses.
Chakri, Chakli, Chakralu: Names and Shape
The same spiral snack goes by different names in different parts of India. Swasthi Shreekanth's recipe page lists chakri as the name used in Gujarat, chakli in Maharashtra and Karnataka, chakralu in Andhra Pradesh, and murukku in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. A design-learning resource on the chakli press from IDC, IIT Bombay also uses chakli, chakri and murukku as regional names across several states, Gujarat among them.
A shared name does not mean a shared recipe, though. In a food-technology overview, Dr. Suvendu Bhattacharya, a former chief scientist at CSIR-CFTRI, treats murukku and chakli as related fried spiral snacks. He contrasts the common rice and black-gram murukku with chakli blends that can include chana (chickpea) flour. Both are extruded and shaped into spirals. The kinship is close, but this article does not claim the two are identical or entirely separate.
Households vary too. Swasthi Shreekanth notes that while southern murukku is based on rice flour, some homes in Gujarat make chakri with steamed whole-wheat flour. That style is not the one followed here. No amounts are available for it, so this article does not offer it as a variation. The recipe below is the card the author publishes as Chakli/Chakralu: rice flour with both besan and fried gram powder.
Spirals Born From a Press
The shape comes from a tool. The IDC, IIT Bombay resource describes the chakli press, also called a murukku maker, as a hand-operated device. You load dough into its cylinder, and a plunger pushes the dough out through a plate at the end. The plates are interchangeable, and each one changes the strand and the finished form, from a single ridged strand to other coil shapes.
The spiral itself is made by hand. You press the strand out onto parchment while moving in a circle from the center outward, then close the end against the last ring. Small differences in that motion show up in the finished pieces, so homemade coils are rarely perfectly uniform. When choosing a press, look for it by its general name, chakli press or murukku maker, rather than a particular brand. This recipe uses a plate that gives the classic ridged spiral.
Diwali Snacks and an Everyday Cup of Tea
On the recipe page, Swasthi Shreekanth remembers Diwali in the family's homes in Karnataka and Maharashtra, when homemade sweets and snacks were exchanged with friends and neighbors. That is one family's memory. It is not a rule for every household or every region, but it shows the kind of occasion when a batch of crisp spirals gets made and shared.
For everyday eating, the author suggests chakli with hot masala chai. The tea is an accompaniment, not part of the recipe, and nothing here suggests the two are required together. A small plate of coils beside a cup of tea is simply a good way to serve them.
Ingredients for 14 Chakri
These are the amounts for one batch of 14 pieces. Rice flour, besan and fried gram powder are three different ingredients, and all three go into the dough. The 1 tablespoon of oil for the dough and the oil for frying are separate.
Equipment
- Small grinder (only if you grind whole fried gram yourself)
- Mixing bowl
- Spoon
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Chakli press (murukku maker)
- Parchment paper
- Deep pan for frying
- Steel colander or cooling rack
- Airtight steel or glass jar
Choosing the Powders and Substitutes
Besan and fried gram powder are not the same thing. Besan (gram flour) and fried gram powder (also sold as roasted gram powder) are two separate ingredients. The table above uses 1/4 cup of each. Do not drop one thinking it duplicates the other.
If you cannot find fried gram powder, use the same amount of besan in its place, so the dough uses 1/2 cup besan in total. That gives you a different dough from the one in the table, so measure carefully and do not confuse the two amounts.
At an Indian grocery, look for these items by their general names: besan or gram flour, fried gram powder or roasted gram powder, ajwain, hing, hulled sesame seeds, and a chakli press or murukku maker. The red chilli powder can sit anywhere from 1/2 to 3/4 tablespoon. For a milder batch, use the lower amount.
If you buy packaged powders or spices, read their ingredient and allergen labels. This recipe contains sesame and two gram (chickpea) products.
Method: From Three Powders to Golden Spirals
Plan on 7 minutes of preparation, 23 minutes of cooking and 30 minutes in total for 14 pieces. These times have not been measured in our kitchen, and the 14 is a count of pieces, not of servings. Shape the spirals before the oil goes on the heat. The oil heats while you shape the rest.
When the Dough or Oil Misbehaves
| What happens | What to look at | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The dough is sticky | Too much water went in at once | Add water only 1 teaspoon at a time after the first 3 tablespoons, and stop once the dough holds together without sticking |
| The dough will not hold together | Not enough water yet | Keep adding water 1 teaspoon at a time, mixing rather than kneading |
| The dough oil smokes | It was heated too long | The oil for the dough should be very hot but not smoking. Stop heating before smoke appears |
| The test piece sinks and stays down | The oil is not hot enough yet | Keep heating over medium-high and test with another small piece |
| The test piece browns | The oil is past the point the test looks for | The test piece should sizzle and rise without browning. Wait until a fresh piece behaves that way |
| A coil breaks apart when turned | It was moved too early | Leave the spirals untouched for 1 to 2 minutes until they firm up, then turn them |
Variations Within the Same Recipe
These changes stay within the options and ranges on the recipe card. They do not combine into a new formula.
- Without ajwain. Ajwain is optional on the card. This version includes 1 tablespoon. Leaving it out changes the aroma.
- Hot butter instead of hot oil. The card allows 1 tablespoon of either hot butter or hot oil in the dough. This article uses oil, and the steps and photos reflect that.
- Milder or hotter. Red chilli powder ranges from 1/2 to 3/4 tablespoon. For less heat, use the lower amount.
- Besan in place of fried gram powder. See "Choosing the Powders and Substitutes" above: the same amount of besan replaces the fried gram powder, for 1/2 cup besan in total. The ingredient table keeps both powders.
- A different press plate. Interchangeable plates change the strand and shape, as described in the IDC, IIT Bombay press resource. This recipe uses the ridged spiral shape only.
Storage and Labels
Once the chakri are out of the oil, cool them on a steel colander or cooling rack until they are completely cool. Then transfer them to an airtight steel or glass jar. No storage period is given here, for room temperature or any other method.
The table above lists everything that goes into the dough, including sesame, besan and fried gram powder. If you use packaged products, check their ingredient and allergen labels before you buy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are chakri and murukku the same thing?
They are closely related fried spiral snacks, and their regional names overlap. Swasthi Shreekanth lists chakri, chakli, chakralu and murukku as names from different states, and the IDC, IIT Bombay press resource uses chakli, chakri and murukku across regions. Dr. Suvendu Bhattacharya's overview, however, contrasts rice and black-gram murukku with chakli blends that can include chana flour. Because names and flour blends both vary, this article does not reduce them to one word with one recipe.
Why use both besan and fried gram powder?
The recipe card lists 1 cup rice flour, 1/4 cup besan and 1/4 cup fried gram powder as separate ingredients. The step-by-step photo guide earlier on the same page shows a different blend, with a single "ground flour (or use besan)" entry, and tells you to knead. This article follows the full written card: both powders, mixed without kneading. In a dated reply to a reader (2025-10-21), the author also confirmed that if you leave out the roasted gram flour, the dough needs 1/2 cup besan in total. That supports reading the card as 1/4 cup of each powder.
Can I leave out the ajwain?
Yes. The card marks it as optional. This version includes 1 tablespoon. Without it, the spirals have a different aroma.
How many does this make?
The recipe card gives a yield of 14 chakli. That is a count of pieces, not a number of servings.
Can I convert the amounts to grams?
The card uses cups, tablespoons and teaspoons without saying which cup system it means. The amounts are kept in those units so that no unverified conversion is introduced.
How long do they keep?
The card does not say. Its guidance is to cool the chakri completely on a steel colander or cooling rack, then store them in an airtight steel or glass jar.
Do I need a thermometer for the oil?
The method does not use one. Heat the oil over medium-high and drop in a small piece of dough. It is ready when the piece sizzles and rises to the surface without browning. Then fry on medium heat.
Sources
- Swasthi Shreekanth, "Chakli Recipe (Chakralu Recipe)," Swasthi's Recipes. The complete written recipe card followed in this article: ingredients, amounts, order of steps, the oil test, frying, cooling, and the yield of 14 chakli with stated prep, cook and total times. The page also gives the regional names (chakri for Gujarat), the author's family memories of exchanging Diwali snacks, the suggestion to serve with masala chai, and the mention of a whole-wheat chakri style. The page's earlier photo guide, which differs from the card, was not followed. https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/chakli-recipe-chakralu-recipe/
- Madhuri Menon, IDC, IIT Bombay, "Chakli Press or Murukku," D'Source Digital Online Learning Environment for Design. How the hand-operated press, interchangeable plates and extrusion form coils and spirals, and the use of the chakli, chakri and murukku names across regions including Gujarat. Its own ingredient list was not used. https://dsource.in/resource/kitchen-products/kitchen-helpers/chakli-press-or-murukku
- Dr. Suvendu Bhattacharya, "Murrukku and chakli," Traditional Foods of India. Murukku and chakli as related spiral fried snacks with overlapping names, the contrast between rice and black-gram murukku and chakli blends that can include chana flour, and extrusion into spirals. Not used for amounts, temperatures or storage. https://www.traditionalfoodofindia.com/murrukku-and-chakli/
- Wikipedia, "List of Indian dishes." Used only to confirm the listing of chakri (chakali) as a savoury snack of mixed-grain flour in the West India table. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indian_dishes
- Wikipedia, "Murukku." Used only to trace the overlapping names, including chakli as a similar snack and Konkani chakri/chakkuli. Not used as a recipe or cultural source. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murukku
