Murukku is a tasty, crispy south Indian snack prepared during festivals and auspicious occasions or even as an evening snack with with your tea. These days the process to prepare this snack has been modified to our convenience with innovative machines which makes it easier to prepare. I recall my grand mother and mother preparing these in huge quantities with so much ease and patience. It wasn't an easy task for them back then as they had to cook for a big family and during festive times the head counts multiplied which means more work and cooking time. Yet, they prepaed with so much love, care and ease that it always tasted yummy and vanished in no time.
In memorium of my grand mother, this Diwali,it was my first try to prepare this snack and I must say with all her blessing, I simply nailed the recipe. My family and friends simply loved it!
Check out the recipe below!
Ingredients
• Rice flour 2 cups (sieved)
• Urad dal flour ¼cup (dry roasted, ground and sieved)
• Cumin seeds
• Room temperature unsalted butter 2 tbsp or hot oil 2 tbsp
• Asafoetida or hing a pinch
• Salt as needed
• Water as needed for kneading.
• Greased Murukku maker with single star plate or plate with medium sized holes. (Refer to pictures below)
• Lastly oil for frying.
Method
• Dry roast the urad dal to golden brown and grind to fine powder and sieve it to remove extra grains left if any.
• In a large wide bowl sieve the rice flour and add the urad dal powder, butter or hot oil, Cumin seeds, Asafoetida or hing, salt and knead it to a soft dough.
• The dough should be soft enough to be squeezed out of the murukku machine. When you press the dough with your finger it should leave an impressions.
• Next, grease the murukku machine with oil inside, while using the single star plate or plate with medium sized holes.
• Place a small portion of the dough into the greased murukku machine.
• Alternately, heat oil in a heavy wok keeping flame in medium low.
• Now, I keep 2 ladles, one for deep frying and another for squeezing the dough on it and place it into the oil. (This new process is my own and it is just to save your hands from getting burnt, however I remember my mom and granny used to press the dough directly into the hot oil)
• Slowly place the squeezed murukku into the hot oil and cook until golden brown keeping the flame in medium low heat.
• Continue this process to prepare the rest of the dough.
• This is a yummy snack goes very well with your tea and coffee time and to share with your friends and family during festival.
• It stays for a good 10 days and consume when stored in an air tight box.