In this guide
Quick answer
To make dry fruit chikki at home, use roughly equal weights of chopped nuts and jaggery, and cook the jaggery until a drop in cold water snaps cleanly. For a til brittle in the gajak style, use the same idea with toasted white sesame in place of the nuts.
That is the whole method. The rest is choosing what goes in, and getting the jaggery right.
Why Delhi makes this in winter
When the fog settles over Delhi in December and January, the sweet shops fill with gajak, rewari and chikki, and they stay that way through Lohri and Makar Sankranti. Til and gur are the flavours of the season across the North.
Proper gajak, the flaky kind, is jaggery pulled and beaten by hand for a long time, and it is a halwai’s skill. What most of us can make at home is the brittle: a thin sheet of nuts or til set in jaggery. It takes half an hour and keeps well in the cold, dry air of a Delhi winter, which is exactly why this is a winter job. In humid weather a brittle turns sticky within days.
Which nuts and seeds to use
Almost any dry nut works. What matters is that the pieces are small and even, so the sheet sets thin.
- Til (white sesame). Safed Tilly is the base of til patti and gajak-style brittle. Toast it dry until it smells nutty and one or two seeds pop.
- Kaju (cashew). Regular Cashew chopped coarsely gives a rich, mild chikki. Broken pieces are fine here as you are chopping anyway.
- Badam (almond). Badam Katran is already sliced, which saves the chopping and sets beautifully flat.
- Pista. Pista Katran adds colour. Use it as part of the mix or scatter it on top, because on its own it is expensive for a brittle.
- Magaj (watermelon seeds). Watermelon Seeds are small and flat, and they fill the gaps between bigger pieces.
Peanuts are the classic chikki nut, and they work well mixed with the above, though they are not something we stock.
Ratios for a home batch
| Brittle | Nuts or seeds | Jaggery | Ghee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Til patti | 200 g toasted til | 150–200 g | 1 tsp |
| Mixed dry fruit chikki | 80 g kaju, 60 g badam katran, 30 g magaj, 30 g pista katran | 200 g | 1 tsp |
| Til and magaj | 150 g til, 50 g magaj | 180 g | 1 tsp |
More jaggery makes a thicker, harder sheet. Less makes a lacy one that holds together only just. Start near equal weights and adjust next time.
The jaggery is the part that decides it
Use a dark, firm jaggery; the kind sold for chikki sets better than soft, moist gur. Jaggery and ghee are not things we sell, so buy them locally.
- Toast the nuts and seeds separately on low heat, as they brown at different speeds. Keep them warm.
- Grease a steel plate or the back of a thali with ghee, and grease a rolling pin.
- Melt the jaggery with the teaspoon of ghee on low heat, stirring, with no water or just a spoonful.
- Let it bubble and darken. After a few minutes, drop a little into a bowl of cold water. If it goes soft, keep cooking. When it turns hard and snaps between your fingers, it is ready.
- Take it off the heat, tip in the warm nuts, stir fast and turn it onto the plate.
- Roll it thin while it is hot, and cut lines with a greased knife before it sets.
- Break along the lines once cool.
If the chikki is chewy the next day, the jaggery was not cooked long enough. If it tastes bitter, it went too far. Both are normal on a first try.
Keeping it
Store the pieces in a dry, airtight tin. In a Delhi December they keep for a couple of weeks without trouble. Keep nuts for the next batch in the fridge once opened, because warm kitchens and stored nuts are a poor pair.
You will find all of the nuts above on our nuts shelf, and today’s dry fruit prices in Delhi NCR on our city page. Delivery to Delhi NCR usually takes 3–5 days, and it is free on orders over ₹1,000. For more on pista cuts, see our guide to pista kernels, katran and pishori.
Questions people ask
Why is my chikki not hard?
The jaggery was not cooked to the hard stage. Cook it until a drop in cold water snaps, not bends.
Can I make gajak at home?
Flaky gajak needs long pulling and beating of the jaggery, which is hard at home. A thin til brittle gives a similar taste with far less work.
Which jaggery is best for chikki?
A dark, firm jaggery sets best. Soft, moist gur tends to give a sticky result.
How much til do I need for til patti?
About 200 g of til to 150–200 g of jaggery makes a good plateful.
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Written at our counter, where these questions get asked every week.
