Kitchen Stories Snacks

How to make: Puffed Quinoa Jaggery Chikki

September 8, 2017
How to make: Puffed Quinoa Jaggery Chikki

The scrumptious puffed Quinoa and Jaggery concoction

Puffed quinoa, due to its resemblance to puffed rice, I always fancied getting my hands on it. Finally, the day is here for the first recipe.

Today, we will have a crack on the sweet dish; traditionally called “Chikki” made with puffed rice called “Mumra” in my native language “Gujarati.” Growing up, I have had the pleasure to have many different varieties of chikki; usually made during winter and the kite flying festival celebrated on 14th January every year. The festival is also known as “Makar Sankranti” which is one of the few ancient Hindu festivals that has been observed according to the solar cycle.

Did you know? Chikki is a traditional Indian sweet generally made with jaggery or sugar along with ground peanut or sesame seeds. Along the way, many other variations were created and one of them was made out of Puffed Rice.

I am putting my taste buds and memory to the test and attempting the puffed quinoa chikki very first time with a twist of pistachios, sliced almonds, and sea salt.

Sliced Almonds

Sliced Almonds

Raw Pistachios

Raw Pistachios

GoGo Organic Puffed Quinoa

GoGo Organic Puffed Quinoa

Sliced Almonds, Pistachios, Puffed Quinoa

Sliced Almonds, Pistachios, Puffed Quinoa

Puffed Quinoa

Puffed Quinoa

Did you know? Quinoa belongs to the Amaranthan “Rajgira” family; My granny used to make chikki from Rajgira and it was generally consumed during the fast.

Light and Puffed Quinoa

Light and Puffed Quinoa

Organic Jaggery

Organic Jaggery

About jaggery:

Jaggery is a traditional form of raw or unrefined sugar derived from the sugarcane juice. It preserves some of the minerals and plants Phyto chemicals due to which it is considered to be healthier than the refined sugar. It is also suggested to have many health benefits.

Did you know? Jaggery helps to treat the common cold and chronic cough along with many other health issues and also contributes to boosting the immune system. It is used as adjuvants of various medicines in Ayurveda medicine.

Organic Puffed Quinoa, Sliced Almonds, Pistachios, Jaggery

Organic Puffed Quinoa, Sliced Almonds, Pistachios, Jaggery

Puffed quinoa chikki recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 30 gm organic puffed quinoa
  • 50 gm organic jaggery
  • 12.5 gm of sliced almonds
  • 12.5 gm of raw pistachios
  • A hint of sea salt
Roasting Puffed Quinoa

Roasting Puffed Quinoa

Tip 1: To retain the crispness, roast the puffed quinoa until slightly toasted and gives nutty aroma.

Gadgets to help with the recipe:

  • A nonstick pan
  • Wooden spatula
  • Baking tray
  • Parchment paper to cover the baking tray
  • Stainless steel spatula
  • Pizza cutter or a knife
Roast Sliced Almonds and Pistachios

Roast Sliced Almonds and Pistachios

Tip 2: Roast the sliced almonds and pistachios to awaken the nuttiness.

Cooking Jaggery

Cooking Jaggery

Did you know? The sweetness of the batch of jaggery varies much like sugar.

Light and Bubbling Jaggery

Light and Bubbling Jaggery

Tip 3: Cook jaggery, until it’s bubbling; To test if the jaggery is cooked to the point to make chikki, drop a little jaggery to a cold water and if it retains the shape when you jiggle it, jaggery is ready to be mixed with the rest of the ingredients. Work through the mixture quickly before it cools.

Adding Quinoa and Nuts to the Jaggery

Adding Quinoa and Nuts to the Jaggery

Tip 4: If making “Ladoo” the balls, do not grease your hands as it will melt the hot jaggery mixture and would be too hot to handle. Instead, roll it without any greasing and using cold water to help along.

Method.

  • Roast the puffed quinoa.
  • Roast the sliced almonds and pistachios to the light pink color.
  • Heat jaggery on the medium heat in a non-stick pan until light and bubbly. Keep stirring the mixture continuously with the wooden spatula.
  • Perform the cold water test to check if the jaggery is ready to make chikki.
  • On the successful test, add the puffed quinoa, roasted nuts, and sea salt to the cooked jaggery.
  • Mix well, and work your way through the mixture quickly. The mixture is most pliable when warm, upon cooling it becomes brittle.
  • Either you can make the balls “Ladoo” of the mixture or spread the mixture to 1 cm thickness on the baking tray with the stainless steel spatula.
  • Cut the mixture into the diamond, rectangular or square shape or keep it just rustic while it’s warm. The jaggery mixture set as it cools and then it’s difficult to cut into pieces.
  • Wallah, the crunchy, delicious, rich in protein and nutrients packed snack is ready; in fact, it can easily satisfy your sweet tooth and believe me it’s scrumptious.
Spreading the hot mixture in a tray

Spreading the hot mixture in a tray

Tip 5: Use stainless steel spatula or any other utensil available to help the process, do not apply any grease.

Working through the hot jaggery and quinoa mixture

Working through the hot jaggery and quinoa mixture

Spread the mixture into a 1 cm thick sheet

Spread the mixture into a 1 cm thick sheet

Rolling the pizza cutter through the crunchy layer

Rolling the pizza cutter through the crunchy layer

Cutting the pieces of the crunchy layer

Cutting the pieces of the crunchy layer

Chikki

Chikki

Crisp and Crunchy Chikki

Crisp and Crunchy Chikki

Quinoa Chikki; Ingredients

Quinoa Chikki; Ingredients

Quinoa Chikki; Ingredients

Quinoa Chikki; Ingredients

Chikki

Chikki

Stack of Chikki

Stack of Chikki

Tip 6: To help cleaning the non-stick pan and spatulas, add the water to the pan and heat the water which releases the jaggery. Throw the water and wipe clean with soapy water.

Useful details:
  • Bulk Barn: Pistachios, Sliced Almonds, and Parchment Paper
  • Handloom House: Linen
  • Baking Tray
  • IKEA: Wooden Board
  • Camera: Nikon D5300
  • Preparation time: 20 minutes
More snack options:

This is not a sponsored post.

The possibilities are endless and don’t be afraid to play with flavor combinations. But if you aren’t the sort that likes to experiment in the kitchen, trust me on this combo. It’s a winner.

xo,

Nidhi

 

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