Peanut Chikki

The method

Step by step

Written for first-time cooks — every quantity, timing and cue is spelled out.

1. 01

   Preparation & Setup

   First, get all your tools ready: a heavy-bottomed kadhai, a large mixing bowl, a rolling pin, a baking tray or steel thali, a sharp knife, measuring cups and spoons, and a spatula. Lightly grease the baking tray or thali with 1 tsp of ghee or oil. Keep it aside. Make sure your 1 cup of jaggery is grated or finely chopped into small pieces; this helps it melt evenly.

2. 02

   Roast Peanuts

   Place the heavy-bottomed kadhai on medium-low flame. Add 1 cup of raw peanuts. Stir continuously with a spatula for 8-10 minutes. The peanuts will start to smell toasty and their skins will look slightly darker and cracked. Do not let them burn; if you see any smoke, reduce the flame immediately.

3. 03

   Cool & De-skin Peanuts

   Once roasted, immediately transfer the hot peanuts into the large mixing bowl. Let them cool down for 5 minutes. Once slightly cool, rub the peanuts between your palms or with a kitchen towel. The skins will loosen and come off easily. Discard the skins; you should have about 3/4 cup of de-skinned peanuts.

4. 04

   Melt Jaggery

   Wipe the kadhai clean. Place it back on low flame. Add 1 cup of grated jaggery to the kadhai. Do not add any water. Stir continuously with a spatula. The jaggery will slowly melt and turn into a thick, bubbly syrup. This will take about 5-7 minutes.

5. 05

   Check Jaggery Stage (Hard Ball)

   To check if the jaggery is ready, drop a tiny bit (about 1/4 tsp) of the melted jaggery into a small bowl of cold water. It should immediately harden and form a firm ball. When you take it out, it should snap cleanly when bent, not be chewy or sticky. If it's still soft, continue cooking for another 1-2 minutes and re-test.

6. 06

   Mix Peanuts

   Once the jaggery reaches the hard-ball stage, immediately turn off the flame. Quickly add all the de-skinned peanuts into the melted jaggery in the kadhai. Stir very quickly and thoroughly with the spatula to coat all the peanuts evenly with the jaggery syrup. This step needs to be fast, as the jaggery will start to harden.

7. 07

   Spread & Flatten

   Immediately transfer the hot peanut-jaggery mixture onto the pre-greased baking tray/thali. Quickly place a piece of greased parchment paper or another greased thali on top of the mixture. Using a rolling pin, flatten the mixture evenly to a thickness of about 0.5 cm. Work quickly, as it hardens fast.

8. 08

   Cut Chikki

   While the chikki is still warm (not fully hardened, but firm enough to hold shape), use the sharp knife to cut it into desired shapes, like squares or rectangles (about 5x5 cm). If you wait too long, it will become very hard and difficult to cut cleanly. You should get about 12-15 pieces.

9. 09

   Cool & Store

   Let the chikki cool completely on the tray for at least 30 minutes. Once fully cooled and hard, carefully break apart the pre-cut pieces. Store the peanut chikki in an airtight container at room temperature. It will stay fresh for up to 2-3 weeks.