Uppu seedai is a crunchy, savory treat made with rice flour and butter. It is one of our all-time favorite snacks and vanishes in no time when a packet of these is opened. The previous generation was fortunate to grow up eating these tasty bites (and their sweet cousin – the vella seedai), while today’s kids have gotten addicted to junk snacks such as Kurkure and Cheetos. It’s time to revive these delicious, home-made, healthier snacks and bring them to the forefront. Many new chefs are scared to make these due to the fact that they may start bursting while deep frying and can cause a mess in the kitchen and skin burn accidents. But with just a couple of simple steps, you can ensure safety and crack this recipe. Let’s see how…  

WHAT YOU WILL NEED for UPPU SEEDAI

Ingredients

Note: 1 cup = 235 ml

1. 1 Tbsp. roasted black gram flour or 2 Tbsp. de-husked black gram (urad dal or ulutham paruppu) to roast and grind
2. 1 Tbsp. de-husked roasted gram flour or 2 Tbsp. roasted gram (bhuna chana or pottukadalai) to grind – Optional
3. 1 cup rice flour
4. 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
5. ½ tsp. salt
6. 1 tsp. white sesame seeds
7. 1 Tbsp. coconut, grated
8. ¼ tsp. asafoetida
9. 5 – 6 Tbsp. water
10. ½ tsp. oil for greasing your palm
11. 2 cups avocado oil or any cooking for frying 

You can use both roasted blackgram flour and de-husked roasted gram flour or either one of them in lieu of the other but make sure, it amounts to 2 Tbsp. in all. Urad flour will give the seedai a darker color when fried compared to roasted gram flour

You can decrease the butter a little bit but do not add more than the proportions specified. Excess butter will make the dough crumble in the oil and will not let it hold shape.

Kitchen tools

1. Flat bottom pan
2. Flat Ladle
3. Small blender jar and blender
4. Fine mesh sieve
5. Medium size bowl
6. Small damp cloth or kitchen paper towel
7. Frying pan
8. Spider strainer ladle

The traditional method calls for making rice flour at home but I have had great results with store bought rice flour which makes this recipe a breeze to make. I have seen some bloggers use idiyappam flour to make this and I am yet to try that. However, I have given the method for making rice flour at home under step 3 of the preparations if you wish to make it from scratch.

PREPARATION – UPPU SEEDAI (with step-by-step photos)

Step 1  – Dry roast 2 Tbsp. de-husked black gram (urad dal) in a flat bottom pan on medium heat stirring constantly with a flat ladle, until it turns golden brown in color. Allow this to cool down completely and then grind it to a smooth powder, sieve, and set aside in a little bowl

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Step 2  – In the same blender jar, grind 2 Tbsp. roasted gram, sieve this flour, and set aside in a small bowl

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You only need a table spoon of each of these flours for a cup of rice flour. In the above step I have mentioned that you need to grind 2 Tbsp. of each of them as that is the minimum my blender jar needs to grind and I will be using the remaining 1 Tbsp. of flour for Vella Seedai. You can make these two flours for up to a cup measure ahead of time and store it in an airtight container for making Murukku, Thenkuzhal, Thattai etc as these flours have a shelf life up to 3 months

Step 3  – Now dry roast 1 cup rice flour in a flat bottom pan on medium heat, stirring constantly with a flat ladle, until it is hot without browning. Sieve and set aside. This step will ensure that the flour is dirt free and prevents it from bursting when deep fried in the oil

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Traditional method of making rice flour at home 

Soak 1 cup rice in sufficient water for 2 hours. Drain the water and spread it on a clean cloth to absorb the excess water or you can leave it in the colander for an hour

In a medium size blender jar, grind the soaked and drained rice in batches to a fine powder

Sieve the flour and set aside. You can add the remaining coarse rice grains that are in the sieve to the next batch of rice that you will be grinding. The rice flour is now ready to be used in various bakshanams (snacks).

Step 4 – Using your hands cream 2 Tbsp. softened butter and ½ tsp. salt in a medium size mixing bowl, until the butter becomes light and fluffy

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Step 5  – Add 1 cup lightly roasted and sieved rice flour, 1 Tbsp. blackgram flour, 1 Tbsp. roasted gram flour, 1 tsp. white sesame, 1 Tbsp. grated coconut, seeds, ¼ tsp. asafoetida powder and combine well with your hand

Sieve all flours, including asafoetida and salt to make sure you have no dust particles that might burst while deep frying

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Step 6  – Add water a little at a time using a tablespoon to make a soft dough. The dough should be soft and crumbly like a cookie dough and yet come together into a ball when rolled. You will need up to 5 – 6 Tbsp. water depending on the quality of the rice flour

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If the dough becomes too sticky with moisture, add 1-2 tsp. of roasted, sieved rice flour to bring it back to the required consistency. It is therefore very important to add water 1 spoon at a time

Step 7  – Heat 2 cups avocado oil in a frying pan on medium heat

Step 8  – Grease your hands with oil and take dough from step 8. The dough should be the size of a peanut (¼ tsp). Gently roll it in between your palms to make a tiny ball. Repeat this process for the rest of the dough and set the balls aside on a damp cloth over a plate to prevent it from drying out too much

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Do not try to make a perfect ball with a smooth finish. A few cracks will help the steam escape and prevent the seedai from bursting. Also, be gentle and do not apply pressure while rolling

Step 9 – Test the oil for readiness by dropping a mustard size dough in the hot oil, if it bounces back immediately then the oil is ready for frying, else give it a couple of minutes and test again

Step 10  – When the oil is ready, slowly and gently drop about 20-30 balls into the hot oil and stand away from the stove for safety. After a minute stir in the frying pan with a spider ladle and keep cooking until it turns golden brown and the bubbles in the oil calm down completely

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Uppu seedai will take its sweet time to cook and the key is to be patient and not rush the cooking process by increasing the heat. Medium heat will yield the best results. Also, wait for all the bubbles to settle down before you scoop it out

Step 11 – Remove the fried uppu seedai with a spider ladle onto a paper towel to drain excess oil and allow it to cool before serving. Depending on the pan size, heat, and number of seedais in each batch, it will take approximately 3-4 minutes to fry one batch. Repeat the process for the rest of the rolled seedai balls. Store in an airtight container once completely cooled down

Step 12  – Enjoy your sublime uppu seedai this Gokulashtami and around the year with tea / coffee 😋 

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Related Recipes

Vella Seedai

Vella Aval

Like many in my generation, I grew up in eager anticipation of the delicacies my mom would prepare during festivals. Specifically for Krishna Jayanthi, my mom used to start preparing bakshanam (snacks) a few days ahead of the festival day and fill-up large containers with Kai-Murukku, Uppu Seedai and Vella Seedai for us to hog on and for us to share with our schoolmates during that week. Krishna Jayanthi is one festival in India where everyone is euphoric not just for the celebration but for the variety of foods prepared across India. Krishna is the epitome of love and mischief and his birthday is a celebration that reflects all of it. Being a cowherd, butter was Krishna’s favorite, and he was known for his pranks to steal it from neighbors. In many parts of northern and western India, a super fun game called “Dahi Handi” is played on this day in every small and large community. It’s an Indian piñata game played by a group of young boys, where an earthen pot filled with milk, curd, or butter is hung high which is to be broken only by forming a human pyramid, thus imitating the pranks of little Krishna. Folks in South India focus on special rangoli in the shape of little footsteps from the doorway to the prayer room mimicking his entry into our house to steal the snacks we’d lay out for him. Seedai, His favorite crunchy butter snacks are made in almost every household in Kerala and Tamil Nadu as an offering to Him alongside Vella Aval, Vella Seedai and of course fresh butter…absolutely sublime!!!

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