BELLADA CHEEDE/VELLA CHEEDE

Bellada cheede and Uppicheede are two of the favourite dishes of  Lord Krishna and is normally prepared during Krishnashtami/Janmashtami. In this post I will share the recipe of Bellada cheede which can be a little challenging dish to prepare because there is always a risk of the cheede spreading in oil (does not retain its shape) while frying. The key to solving this issue is to ensure you rest the dough for atleast 4-5 hours before frying them. For additional tips refer to the notes at the end of this recipe. A little practice and patience with lots of love is all it takes to master this preparation. Bellada cheede, a mildly sweet snack; with its crunchy exterior and pieces of coconut bursting in as a surprise in every bite it is sure to be a hit among kids and adults alike.

You can refer to the blog for other Krishnashthmi fried snacks like Uppicheede, Chakli, Tengul, Thatte and Ribbon pakoda. Further you can find Avalakki recipes like Gojju avalakki, Avalakki payasa, Mosuru avalakki in this blog too.

Ingredients

Rice flour: 1 cup
Jaggery/gud/bella: 1/2 cup
Udad dal flour: 1 tbsp(roasted and powdered udad dal)
Unsalted butter: 2 tbsp
Cardamom powder: 1/2 tsp
Dry ginger powder: 1/2 tsp
Coconut: 1 tbsp(cut into small pieces)
Ghee/Oil: for frying

Preparation 

1. Dry roast rice flour(it should just be little warm) and keep aside.
2. Dissolve jaggery in water by heating (do not make syrup) and remove impurities by filtering the jaggery water. (water should be enough to immerse jaggery)
3. Take a bowl, add rice flour, udad dal flour, butter, dry ginger powder, cardamom powder, coconut and mix without lumps.
4. Add cooled jaggery water and  bind it into a soft dough. Consistency of the dough should be soft enough to make balls without cracks, harder than chapati dough.
5. Give it a rest for 4-5 hours.
6. Make balls of 0.75" to 1" size and deep fry till it turns golden brown colour.
7. Bellada cheede should be soft from inside and crispy form outside.
8. Once done cool and store in air-tight container.

Notes:

1. Do not fry all balls together. Put 2 at a time or maximum 4 balls.
2. Oil should not be very hot and once balls are put do not disturb for a minute
3. Jaggery water should not be boiled.