Sunday, August 19, 2007

Murukku

Murukku is to the Tamil Cuisine as Chakli is to Maharashtrians.. Well, same item but different names.. Also the procedure being a bit different.. I have to agree that chakli needs lots efforts and murukku is the easier version.. Last Diwali I was able to make all Maharashtrian snacks, except chakli and shev.. The only reason being that I didnt have the chakli press.. Mom finally sent it to me last month and from then my husband is pestering me to make chaklis, his favourite snack! But soon I realised that I cannot prepare Bhajani, the flour used for chakli here as there as no flour mills :D So I had to settle down with murukkus.. These taste equally great and I am satisfied to find an easier option to chaklis.. Now chaklis will only be prepared if I get readymade bhajani flour from India :)

Since Rice flour is the main ingredient in Murukkus, they will go to Sharmi for JFI-Rice. Now that it comes to RICE, before going for the recipe, someone please help me solve my query.. Is it healthy to eat rice regularly?? I have always heard that eating rice makes you fat.. Rice being the staple diet of South Indians, I always wonder how they tend to be so slim when they eat rice twice a day.. Also I read somewhere that eating rice during lunch (before 3 pm) is absolutely fine but should be avoided for dinner.. That ultimately means that rice can be eaten only on weekends since we have shortcut lunches and lavish dinners at my place.. Experts and dieticiens, please educate me :)

Murukku


Preparation time:

40-45 mins

Makes:

12-15 Murukkus

What you need:

2 cups Rice Flour
1/4 cup Besan
1/4 cup Urad Dal Flour
2 tbsp Sesame Seeds
1 tbsp Cumin Seeds
1 tbsp Ajwain Seeds
1-2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
Salt to taste
A pinch of Asafoetida
1/8 tsp Sodium Bicarb
2 tbsp Hot Oil
Oil to Fry
*Chakli Press

How to proceed:

1) Sieve and mix all the flours
2) Add all the remaining ingredients except oil
3) Pour the hot oil over this and mix well with a spoon
4) Now add water and knead to a stiff dough
5) Place oil to heat for frying chaklis
6) According to quantity allowed by the chakli press, divide the dough into parts
7) Roll each part in a cylindrical shape and put it inside the chakli press
8) Squeeze spiral murukkus in a plate or a plastic sheet
9) Slide 2-3 murukkus in hot oil and fry them on medium heat till they turn golden brown.
10) Drain on kitchen towels and cool before you pop them into your mouth :)
11) Can be stored for 15-20 days in an air tight container.. Serves as a great snack wit hot tea!

* Take care not to hastily fry on high heat.. The murukkus will not get cooked from inside and will not be crispy

* I didnt have Urad dal flour.. So I just soaked Urad dal fro 2 hours and then prepared a paste in the mixer and added this to the other flours while making the dough!

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Those are looking so perfect.

Roopa said...

yummy looks chakli :) have to make them soon too!

Sreelu said...

Arts,

Wow making chakli is a task in itself,looks perfectly round and great color.must have been a treat to eat

Sharmi said...

hey lovely and crunchy looking murukus. thanks for the great entry. very different kind of entry infact.

TBC said...

They look so crunchy & perfect and are a perfect entry for the event!

Richa said...

hey, murukku looks nice n crispy!
bhata var itka vichar karu nakos, just enjoy..... :)

Arts said...

Thx Hima,
Thx to the chakli press that I have.. nelse wouldnt have been possible :D

Roopa,
Yeah.. try n lemme know how it goes!

Sreelu,
Yeah.. was surely a treat when eating after months :D

Thx Sharmi,
Wasnt sure if rice flour would do... Have another entry coming up soon with "pure" whole rice:)

Hey Tbc,
thanks for dropping by n ur nice words!

Thx Richa
The concern is not for me yaar.. Mala swatachi kahich kalaji nahiye..Its for my better half :D :D

Finla said...

Hi Aarti, It looks good, i can hear myself crunching to it.
And when u find the answer about eating rice too much let me know

Arts said...

Hey HC,
thanks for dropping by.. and if i get the answers i'll surely let u know :)
Glad to meet another blogger frm Belgium :)

LALLI, PUNE said...

Hi, One tip. Instead of making the urad dal wet and making a paste, you can roast the same and make powder of that and use it in the mixture.

I am Lalitha from Tamilnadu

Anonymous said...

i dont have a chakali mould...then how can i make it..is there a way out