Name: Gujarati Chorafali
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: ⅓ cup Gram Flour; 2 tbsp Split Black Gram (Skinless), ground to fine powder; ⅛ tsp Baking Soda; ¼ tsp Salt; ⅔ cup Cooking Oil, for dough and frying; ⅓ tsp Red Chilli Powder, for sprinkling; ¼ tsp Dried Mango Powder, for sprinkling; ¼ tsp Black Salt, for sprinkling

35 mintotal

Prep 20 min · Cook 15 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Medium

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Ingredients

⅓ cupGram Flour
2 tbspSplit Black Gram (Skinless)ground to fine powder
⅛ tspBaking Soda
¼ tspSalt
⅔ cupCooking Oilfor dough and frying
⅓ tspRed Chilli Powderfor sprinkling
¼ tspDried Mango Powderfor sprinkling
¼ tspBlack Saltfor sprinkling

Quantities are for 2 servings.

You'll need: Stovetop.

No inactive time is needed, but the dough needs pounding and rolling just before frying so the strips puff well.

Method

In a heavy-bottomed mixing pan, combine the gram flour (besan), the fine black gram flour (urad dal powder), baking soda, salt, and a measured portion of very heated oil to create the base.
Add warm water in small additions, kneading the mass into an very stiff dough. The best texture depends on the density of this dough.
Transfer the dough to a solid work surface. Subject it to continuous, strong pounding using a heavy pestle or rolling pin for 5-7 minutes. This pounding makes the dough very elastic, smooth, and noticeably lighter in pigmentation.
5–7 min
Extract minimal portions of the dough. Utilizing a fractional film of oil to resist sticking, roll these portions out into very thin, expansive, almost translucent sheets.
With a precision blade, segment the rolled sheets into uniform 1-inch wide elongated strips.
Bring the frying oil to a high temperature within a deep kadhai. Add the strips; they will puff and rise quickly. Flash-fry on high heat strictly until a pale golden hue and crisp are achieved (approximately 30 seconds per batch). Extract and drain.
30 sec
Make a spice blend by mixing the red chilli powder, dry mango powder (amchur), and black salt in a small bowl. Dust this tangy masala over the chorafali immediately after frying to help it stick to the surface oil.

How to tell it's done

The strips should puff fast, stay pale golden, and shatter into airy crisp flakes with tangy chilli salt on the surface.

Getting it right

Tip

Pound the stiff dough until it feels smoother and lighter; that work helps the strips puff hollow in hot oil.

What to serve it with

Serve chorafali with green chutney or masala chai as part of Gujarati Diwali farsan.

Common mistakes

The chorafali stays flat.: Knead a tight dough, pound it well, roll it very thin, and fry in hot oil in small batches.

Storing and reheating

Store cooled chorafali in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Keep the spice dust dry and away from steam.

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