Murukku : Savory and Crunchy Twists Made From Rice Flour

Murukku, meaning crunchy twists in Tamil, is one of the favorite snack food in South India. These deep fried crunchy twists are made from raw rice flour with little bit of black gram flour and added spices to make it savory.

This step-by-step instructable will take you through the steps involved in making Murukku.

Step 1: Main Ingredients

The main ingredient is the ready-made Murukku flour. You can get this flour in any Asian shops. Otherwise you can make the flour yourself from raw rice mixed with about one-tenth quantity of lightly fried black gram.

You will also need about half a liter of any cooking oil for deep frying. Here I have used refined Rice Bran oil.

Ingredients required to make Murukku dough

About two cups of Murukku flour
Salt to taste
One tablespoon of Fennel seed powder
One tablespoon of Cumin seed powder
A pinch of Asafoetida powder
One tablespoon of Red chili powder (you can add to your own taste)
One tablespoon of melted butter
Warm water for making dough

Step 2: Mix All Ingredients Together

Take two cups of Murukku flour in a container
Add salt to taste
Add all other ingredients as mentioned in Step-2, including melted butter
Mix well

Step 3: Making Murukku Dough

Lightly heat water to a warm temperature in a container
Add little amount of warm water to the Murukku flour and mix with hand
The consistency of the dough should be as of molding clay

Step 4: Murukku Making Press

Murukku making press consists of a cylindrical container in which the dough is filled. The press comes with molds of different shaped holes through which the dough is pressed down to that shape. A hand press helps in pressing down the dough through the bottom mold to the required shape.

You can select any shape you like to make murukku. Here I have selected a single holed - star shaped mold.

Fix the mold at the bottom of the press and fill with murukku dough. Close the dough-filled cylindrical part with the hand press.

Step 5: Deep Fry Murukku

Heat about half a liter of cooking oil in a pan

The Murukku can be pressed down directly in the hot oil or on the backside of the strainer and then dropped into the hot oil. Here I have used the backside of the strainer to get the perfect shape.

Using the hand press, make murukku shapes on the backside of the strainer
Lower the strainer with the murukku dough into hot oil
You can gently release the shaped murukku from the strainer into the oil
You can fry about three to four numbers at a time
Using the strainer, turn over the murukku in hot oil, so that they are evenly fried
When the murukku turns golden brown, remove from the pan and drain out excess oil
Transfer the murukku to a kitchen tissue paper, which will absorb the excess oil