Murukku – Traditional Snack

Roast urid dal till pale brown in colour. Grind it into fine powder and mix it with roasted rice flour along with chilli powder, salt, asafoetida, cumin seeds / sesame seeds / ajwain and 2 tbsp butter / oil.Mix well and knead it into a smooth dough by adding lukewarm water, little by little at a time(around1.5 cups). The dough should have the consistency of a smooth chapathi dough. It shouldn't be sticky or too dry, should be easy enough to press into long continuous strips to make a chain of concentric circles. If the dough is dry, it breaks by itself as we squeeze. Then add little more water and make it into a smooth dough.Fill the dough in an idiyappam press fitted with a base having star shaped hole.

Press and squeeze the dough through the star shaped hole on a greased plate or a big round greased spatula to make it into continuous concentric circles or the shape of round murukku.Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan. Keep the spatula with the squeezed murukku dough in the hot oil and slowly transfer the murukku into the oil.When one side is done, carefully flip the murukku so that the other side is also cooked well. When it is done (refer tips), remove from the oil and keep on a tissue paper to absorb any excess oil.Repeat the same process with the remaining dough.Cool the murukku before storing it in an air tight container.

Tips:When we transfer the murukku into the hot oil, the oil will start bubbling a lot. The bubble will decrease as the murukku gets cooked and when it is done, the bubble almost disappears.You can increase or decrease the quantity of chilli powder according to your taste.You can decide the shape of the murukku, how big or small it should be, by increasing or decreasing the number of concentric circles.