Chikki Pops | Peanut, Gram, Sesame, Amaranth, and Puffed Rice Brittle Pops

Happy Makarsankranti, Lohri, Pongal, Bihu.  Wishing you always soar high, just like the Kites in the sky! 

So I went on a Chikki making spree - made 5 different kinds - not once had I ever tried making chikki ever, and it sure did test my patience, perseverance, dedication, and cooking skills (or lack there of).  In the end,  I had to wing it, adding this, and fixing that, as I went. It came out okay. If you are an expert, you need not look at this recipe, it's not for you :) But if you are a novice chikki maker like I am, join me in this journey and together we'll make something close to chikki for sure!  

This and the following 2 blog posts here and here are dedicated to my chikki making adventures as well.

Chikki or brittle can be made by flattening it in a plate or making it into balls etc.  I decided to give it a fun, contemporary look and hence made Chikki Pops. 

The following recipe is for 5 different kinds of Chikkis.  Some of the steps are the same for all and so I will write individual notes for each, but write common steps for all.

Recipe:

Peanuts OR Daliya (roasted bengal gram) OR Sesame seeds OR Amaranth seeds - 1 cup.  If making murmura chikki, click here for the recipe <link>

Jaggery - 1 cup [preferably the kind used for making chikki. I did not have that on hand so I used the regular kind]

Brown sugar - 1 tablespoon

Water - 1/4 cup

Milk - 2 tablespoons

Ghee (clarified butter) - 2 teaspoons

Rose water (optional) 4 drops

Rose petals (optional) - 1 teaspoon (for garnishing)

Please note:  The above ingredients are enough for just 1 kind of Chikki.  In case you want to make all 5, then you will need 1 cup each of all of those 5 ingredients plus the remaining ingredients * 5 times.

• Take the main ingredient with which you are planning to make the chikki, and process each of these as mentioned in the note at the end. [Please see individual notes below for each ingredient]

• Heat ghee in a non stick pan.  Add crumbled jaggery, 1/4 cup water, and brown (or white) sugar.  It's ok to skip the sugar.  Simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring as needed.  Add 2 tablespoons of milk. keep stirring as needed, and simmer for another 5 minutes.  The jaggery mixture will caramelize into dark brown color.  You know it's done when you take a drop of that mixture and put it  water and a ball forms instead of disintegrating.

• Add the processed main ingredient to the above mixture and mix for 1-2 minutes. Turn off the heat.

• Form into golf sized balls while the mixture is still warm, being extra cautious as if it's hot, it may burn your hands.  Apply either some water or ghee on your hands while forming the balls.  Insert a pop stick to form a pop. 

Enjoy!!

Individual notes for each ingredient:

For Peanuts: Dry roast the peanuts till it crackles. Let it cool. Remove skin from most (not all) of the peanuts.  Coarsely chop the peanuts with a rolling pin. 

For Daliya: Dry roast the daliya. 

For Sesame seeds: Dry roast the sesame seeds. 

For Amaranth seeds: Heat a non-stick wide bottomed pan.  Keep the lid of the container handy.  When the pan is hot, add 1 teaspoon of amaranth seeds at a time, making sure the seeds are in one layer and not on top of each other.  Put the lid on.  The seeds will start popping right away.  After 30 seconds or so, the seeds will stop popping.  Check in between to make sure these are not burning.  Once the seeds stop popping (which should be somewhere around 30 seconds to a minute), remove the seeds and keep them aside, repeat with the remaining seeds, 1 teaspoon at a time.    1 cup of seeds, when popped, will turn to 3+ cups of popped seeds.  Keep it aside.