Nipattu or rice flour crackers are popular South Indian snacks often sold at street side stalls and stores. This is my healthier baked nipattu in air-fryer!
If you have ever been to Bangalore, then you must probably witnessed those big circular brownish crackers in glass jars at local grocery vendors. That, ladies and gentlemen, is niapattu.
It’s spicy, crispy and full of flavors. My version has everything that a fried version has and minus the oil used for deep-frying. Presenting my air-fryer nipattu recipe.
What is Nipattu?
Nipattu or rice flour crackers are popular South Indian snacks often sold at street side stalls and stores.
I never knew what a nipattu is until I started my life in southern Bangalore. Back in 2002, a pack of Nipattu was just 10-20 rupees. I used this as a papad to spice up my dull hostel food those days. I was a teen away from home and missing mom-made food badly. Needless to say, this nipattu was my savior and most-enjoyed coffee-time snack.
In United States, I have never seen nipattu at any Indian groceries. Some of my South Indian friends have generously shared this snack from their mom-made snack inventory. But that was never enough to appease my cravings. That’s when I started digging up recipes (both internet and friends) and made perfect fried nipattu at home.
Both husband and I loved it so much that we made huge batches every Indian holiday season to share with friends. Then I had this groovy idea to make air-fry nipattu instead of deep frying. Result: amazing! 2019 was the first year when I tried this dish in my air fryer and I was very impressed. This time, I decided to photograph it and share the recipe with you all. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.
How to make Bangalore style Nipattu?
Here are the ingredients for air-fryer Nipattu.
For The Dough:
2 cups rice flour, 2 tablespoon fine sooji/rava, 2 tablespoon all purpose flour, 1 tablespoon chili powder (mild or hot as per your choice), ½ teaspoon Turmeric (optional), ¼ teaspoon asafoetida, Salt to taste, ¼ cup hot oil, ¼-1/2 cup warm water
To Blend/Powder:
5 tablespoon peanuts, 3 tablespoon roasted dalia/putani/gram dal(Chana dal), ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, 2 tablespoon dried onion flakes, 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, ¼ tablespoon dried coconut (optional), ½ cup roasted curry leaves (must be crispy)
Method Of Making Nipattu in Air-Fryer:
- Take a small blender jar or spice blender, and all all the ingredients listed under “to blend” category. You may blend the dried/roasted curry leaves or add them directly to your dough. Once this mixture becomes a coarse powder, keep it aside.
- Take a large bowl, add the rice flour, fine sooji/semolina and all purpose flour. Mix it well and add the ground coarse mixture.
- Add chilli powder, asafoetida and salt. Mix everything really well.
- Now add hot oil and mix gently with a spatula. As the oil mixes with the flour, you need to break the lumps between your fingertips to get crumbly texture.
- Now add little water and start to make a dough. The dough should be soft yet tighter than roti dough.
- Cover the dough with a wet towel and keep it aside for 5-10 minutes.
- Take small balls of dough and place between parchment papers. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into thin discs.
- Use a circular cookie cutter and cut out round-shaped nippattu. Poke with a fork to avoid puffed ones while air frying.
- Place the nipattu on a pre-lined air-fryer rack or inside the basket and spray them with oil.
- Preheat the air-fryer to 350F, and once preheated, air fry the nipattu for 8-10 minutes at 345F while turning them upside down in the midway. Cook for another 4-minutes once your nipattu are lightly brown around the edges. The total time for cooking thin nipattu was 14-minutes.
- Allow them to cool down on a cookie cooking rack and serve with hot tea or coffee.
- Enjoy!
NOTE:
If your nipattu are rolled thick, you need to increase the cooking time to 18- to 20-minutes.
Nippatu (Air-fryer/Baked)
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
For the dough
- 2 cups rice flour
- 2 tablespoon fine sooji/rava
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon chili powder, mild or hot as per your choice
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric, optional
- ¼ teaspoon asafoetida
- Salt to taste
- ¼ cup hot oil
- ¼-1/2 cup warm water
To blend:powder
- 5 tablespoon peanuts
- 3 tablespoon roasted dalia/putani/gram dal, Chana dal
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 tablespoon dried onion flakes
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- ¼ tablespoon dried coconut, optional
- ½ cup roasted curry leaves, must be crispy
Instructions
- Take a small blender jar or spice blender, and all all the ingredients listed under “to blend” category. You may blend the dried/roasted curry leaves or add them directly to your dough. Once this mixture becomes a coarse powder, keep it aside.
- Take a large bowl, add the rice flour, fine sooji/semolina and all purpose flour. Mix it well and add the ground coarse mixture.
- Add chilli powder, asafoetida and salt. Mix everything really well.
- Now add hot oil and mix gently with a spatula. As the oil mixes with the flour, you need to break the lumps between your fingertips to get crumbly texture.
- Now add little water and start to make a dough. The dough should be soft yet tighter than roti dough.
- Cover the dough with a wet towel and keep it aside for 5-10 minutes.
- Take small balls of dough and place between parchment papers. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into thin discs.
- Use a circular cookie cutter and cut out round-shaped nippattu. Poke with a fork to avoid puffed ones while air frying.
- Place the nipattu on a pre-lined air-fryer rack or inside the basket and spray them with oil.
- Preheat the air-fryer to 350F, and once preheated, air fry the nipattu for 8-10 minutes at 345F while turning them upside down in the midway. Cook for another 4-minutes once your nipattu are lightly brown around the edges. The total time for cooking thin nipattu was 14-minutes.
- Allow them to cool down on a cookie cooking rack and serve with hot tea or coffee.
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