When I was writing about Sindhi Koki, I realised I was overlooking flatbreads from my own South Indian heritage. So here I am with Sarva Pindi, a crisp rice roti from Telangana.
Rice flour rotis are common across India and I have already written about Karnataka’s Akki Rotti. What sets Sarva Pindi apart is that it is slow cooked in a kadhai so that it becomes crisp and the moisture in it dries out. The net result is that you have a crispy, flavoured rice flour roti that can stored for 4-5 days. Also unlike other rice flour rotis that use fresh vegetables, this rice flour roti from Telangana uses chana dal, til, and peanuts that add to the crunchy texture.
As a result, Sarva Pindi is a snack that can be made in advance and used to be carried on the long train journeys that were popular across India.
I made a no onion, no garlic version of Sarva Pindi. You can add onions and ginger-garlic paste to the dough, if you so wish. If you do this, please remember to reduce the amount of water you use to make the dough because onions are moisture rich.
Do also try my recipes for Sindhi Koki, Akki Rotti, Rava Rotti, and Ragi Rotti.
Tips:
- An absolute must to cooking the Sarva Pindi well is a heavy-bottomed kadhai or tava. Cast irons ones are the best, but whatever you do, use a heavy-bottomed vessel because otherwise the roti will burn but not cook through.
- Patience is the key and you should cook this roti on medium heat for about 15 minutes to get a crisp roti that is cooked through and through.
- The dough must be firm but malleable. You should be able to pat it into a nice round shape but it should not be very soft. If the dough is too soft, it will stick to the kadhai when you cook the rice roti and the roti will break apart.
- The distinctive curved shape of the Sarva Pindi comes from making it in a kadhai but you can also make it on a Tava.
Recipe for Sarva Pindi: A Crispy Rice Flour Snack from Telangana
Sarva Pindi: A Crispy Rice Roti from Telangana
Sarva Pindi is a rice roti that has peanuts, sesame, and chana dal. It is traditionally cooked in a kadhai till it is crisp. The best part about Sarva Pindi is that you can store it for about 4 days and so it is good to carry on a travel.
Equipment
- Heavy-bottomed kadhai or tava
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Rice Flour
- 1 tbsp Chana Dal
- 1 tbsp Roasted Peanuts
- 1 tsp Til
- 1 tsp Finely Chopped Green Chillies
- 1 tsp Finely Chopped Curry Leaves
- 2 tbsp Finely Chopped Coriander
- 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric
- Salt as Required
- Water as Required (I needed about 1/2 cup)
To Cook
- Oil as required
Instructions
Basic Prep
- Soak the Chana Dal in ¼ cup for at least 1 hour. After 1 hour, drain all the water from the chana dal.
- Crush the peanuts a bit to break them up into smaller pieces.
Making the Dough
- To the rice flour, add the crushed peanuts, soaked and drained chana dal, sesame, green chillies, curry leaves, coriander, red chilli powder, turmeric, and salt.
- Mix well.
- Next add a little water at a time and knead into a firm dough.
- Divide into 3 portions and roll each portion into a ball.
Shaping the Sarva Pindi
- To a cold kadhai, add 1/4 tsp of oil and spread it. A well-greased, cold kadhai or tava is the important part here.
- Place one portion of the dough in the centre of the kadhai, and gently press it to form a circle about 5” in diameter.
- Using your index finger, make a few holes in the Sarva Pindi.
- Add a few drops of oil into each of these holes.
Cooking the Sarva Pindi
- Cover the kadhai, and place it on a stove on medium flame.
- Over medium heat, cook for about 10 to 15 minutes till the surface dries out and you are able to loosen the Sarva Pindi easily.
- Remove the Sarva Pindi from the Kadhai or Tava, and transfer to a plate to cool. We do not have to cook the other side.
- Wash the Kadhai or Tava to cool it completely, and then make the next Sarva Pindi. You can also use multiple tavas or kadhais to cook multiple Sarva Pindi’s simultaneously.
- Store the Sarva Pindi in an air-tight container.
How to Make Sarva Pindi
- Getting Started
- You need to soak the Chana Dal in about ¼ cup for at least 1 hour. This will help it to soften and cook well in the Sarva Pindi. Do not use chana dal directly without soaking.
- After 1 hour, drain all the water from the chana dal and set aside.
- Using a mortar and pestle (or even a rolling pin), crush the peanuts a bit to just break them up into smaller pieces. Do not powder the pieces the peanuts.
- Making the Dough
- To a large bowl or plate, add the rice flour, crushed peanuts, soaked and drained chana dal, sesame, green chillies, curry leaves, coriander, red chilli powder, turmeric, and salt.
- Mix all the ingredients together.
- Next add a little water at a time to the rice flour mix and knead into a firm dough. I needed 1/2 cup water. The dough should be firm but malleable; something like a puri dough.
- Divide the dough into 3 portions and roll each portion into a ball.
- To a large bowl or plate, add the rice flour, crushed peanuts, soaked and drained chana dal, sesame, green chillies, curry leaves, coriander, red chilli powder, turmeric, and salt.
- Making the Sarva Pindi
- To a kadhai or tava, add 1/4 tsp of oil and spread the oil well to grease the surface.
- Place one portion of the dough in the centre.
- Use your fingers to gently press it to form a thick disc about 5” in diameter. Ensure that you do not spread the dough too thin because then it will burn easily.
- Using your index finger, make a few holes in the Sarva Pindi and add a few drops of oil into each of these holes. This is to help it cook well.
- Cover the kadhai, and place it on a stove over medium flame.
- Over medium heat, cook the Sarva Pindi for about 10 to 15 minutes till the surface dries out and you are able to loosen it easily.
- Remove the Sarva Pindi from the Kadhai or Tava, and transfer to a plate to cool. You do not have to flip and cook the other side.
- Wash the Kadhai or Tava to cool it completely. Dry it kadhai or tava, and then make the next Sarva Pindi. You can also use more than one tava or kadhai to cook multiple Sarva Pindis simultaneously.
- Storing Sarva Pindi
- After they cool, store these crispy rice rotis from Telangana in an air-tight container.
- Serve the Sarva Pindi with any chutney or pickle. I served them with Ulli Pachadi | Andhra Onion Chutney.
