murukku recipe with step by step pics. murukku is a popular south indian snack made with rice flour and various lentil flours. there are many types of murukku made in south indian homes. in this post, i am sharing the basic murukku recipe which you can easily make in your home.
this is an easy method for making south indian murukku and store brought rice flour is used. you will also need some urad dal flour and that can be easily made by grinding roasted urad dal in a mixer-grinder. you can also use store brought urad dal flour.
the recipe can also be halved or doubled or tripled. i have been making this murukku recipe for quite some time. so i thought its better to share the recipe for readers. the recipe yields about 32 to 35 medium sized murukku. depending on the size of the murukku, the numbers can decrease or increase.
murukku is also known as murukulu, chakralu and jantikalu in andhra. in maharashtra its called as chakli and the ingredients used in making chakli are different than the ones used in making south indian murukku.
making murukku is similar to making chakli. just a few things have to be kept in mind before murukku. i have mentioned the tips and suggestions in the steps itself, so that its easy for you to make murukku.
usually i prefer to make snacks like murukku or shankarpali or sev etc at home since i know what goes into the dough and also the quality of oil used is good. most of the times these snacks are made for diwali, but you can make them any time of the year. since they are fried, they have a longer shelf life. you can easily store them in air-tight jars.
few more popular snacks recipes on blog are:
murukku recipe
ingredients (1 cup = 250 ml)
- 3 tablespoons urad dal or 40 grams
- 1 cup rice flour or 150 grams
- ¼ teaspoon asafoetida powder (hing) – can also add ⅛ teaspoon asafoetida
- ¼ teaspoon red chilly powder or add as required
- ½ teaspoon salt or add as required
- 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds – can also add black sesame seeds
- ½ teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain) – can also add cumin seeds
- 2 tablespoons ghee or 40 grams
- 10 to 11 tablespoons water or add as required
- oil as required for deep frying
how to make murukku recipe
making urad dal flour for murukku recipe
heat a small frying pan or kadai. keep the flame to its lowest and add urad dal.
begin to roast urad dal and keep stirring often when roasting the lentils.
roast urad dal till they become aromatic or are light golden. do not brown them. remove in a plate and let the roasted urad dal cool at room temperature.
then take the roasted urad dal in a small dry grinder jar or a small chutney grinder jar. grind to a fine powder. keep aside.
meanwhile, spread oil on the murukku disc. also spread some oil on the part of the murukku maker where the dough will be placed.
making murukku dough
in a fine sieve, take rice flour. also add the roasted urad dal flour in the same sieve.
next add red chilli powder, asafoetida powder and salt.
sift the dry ingredients twice.
to the sifted flours, then add sesame seeds, carom seeds (ajwain) and ghee. instead of carom seeds you can also use cumin seeds.
mix everything very well. then with your fingertips mix the ghee in the flour evenly. the mixture should resemble breadcrumbs.
hold a small portion of the murukku mixture in your palms and it should hold itself together. it should not break or fall apart. if it breaks or falls apart, then add 1 to 2 teaspoons more of the ghee. mix again very well and then check.
now add water in parts and begin to mix and knead.
keep on adding water in parts and knead very well.
you will need about 10 to 11 tablespoons of water. the amount of water needed will depend on the quality of rice flour. check the taste of dough and add more salt if required.
knead to a smooth and soft dough. also keep the dough slightly moist, but do not make too moist as then the murukku absorbs more oil. murukku has to be made as soon as you knead the dough, so keep everything ready before you shape and fry them
shaping murukku
now divide the dough in two parts and add first part in murukku maker. cover the second part of dough with a kitchen towel.
before you begin to shape the murukku, keep oil in a kadai to get heated. keep the oil on a low or medium-low flame, so that it does not become too hot.
use butter paper or parchment paper squares. cut them in squares and keep ready before you make murukku.
press the murukku maker and move in rounds to get the concentric circles or spiral shape on the paper squares. break the dough towards the end and press it to the last concentric circle of the spiral.
tip 1 – if the murukku breaks while forming them, this means that the dough does not have enough moisture. add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water and knead the dough again.
tip 2 – if you are not getting proper shape, this mean that the dough is too moist. add some rice flour and knead again.
make a batch of murukku. e.g make 3 to 5 murukkus that you will be frying at a time.
frying murukku
next test the hotness of the oil. add a small piece of the murukku dough in the oil and it should come up gradually. if it comes up fast, the oil is hot, so reduce the flame. if it sticks or is at the bottom or comes up slowly, the oil is not hot enough, so increase the flame.
take the butter paper with the murukku in your hands. then take a small to medium sized wooden spatula and place it on the murukku gently.
then gently turn over the spatula. the butter paper will be facing you. lift the butter paper gently.
the murukku will be neatly placed on the wooden spatula.
now gently tilt or place the spatula in oil, so that the murukku slids in the oil.
add the remaining murukku also in this manner. fry on a medium flame.
when they turn light golden, then flip them gently. fry the second side.
fry the murukku till the oil stops sizzling or till they become crisp and golden. do not brown them too much. turn over as needed for even frying.
remove with a slotted spoon draining extra oil in the kadai or pan itself.
place the fried murukku on kitchen paper towels to soak extra oil.
tip 3 – check the first batch of murukku. if it looks like that the murukku has absorbed oil or breaks in oil, then add some rice flour, about 1 to 2 tablespoons and knead again. this happens if too much fat has gone in the dough. once they cool at room temperature, then store murukku in an air-tight box at room temperature.
serve murukku as a tea-time snack.
recipe notes
- this recipe can not be doubled.
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how to make murukku recipe
for ease of understanding, i have divided this stepwise murukku recipe post into 4 steps:
- step 1 – making urad dal flour for murukku
- step 2 – making murukku dough
- step 3 – shaping murukku
- step 4 – frying murukku
lets begin with step 1 – making urad dal flour
1. heat a small frying pan or kadai. keep the flame to its lowest and add 3 tablespoons urad dal (40 grams).
2. begin to roast urad dal and keep stirring often when roasting the lentils.
3. roast urad dal till they become aromatic or are light golden. do not brown them. remove in a plate and let the roasted urad dal cool at room temperature.
4. then take the roasted urad dal in a small dry grinder jar or a small chutney grinder jar.
5. grind to a fine powder. keep aside.
6. meanwhile, spread oil on the murukku disc.
7. also spread some oil on the part of the murukku maker where the dough will be placed.
step 2 – making murukku dough
8. in a fine sieve, take 1 cup rice flour (150 grams).
9. also add the roasted urad dal flour in the same sieve.
10. next add ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder, ¼ teaspoon asafoetida powder (can also add ⅛ teaspoon) and ½ teaspoon salt or add as per taste.
11. sift the dry ingredients twice.
12. then add 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, ½ teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain) and 2 tablespoons ghee (40 grams). instead of carom seeds you can also use cumin seeds.
13. mix everything very well. then with your fingertips mix the ghee in the flour evenly. the mixture should resemble breadcrumbs.
14. hold a small portion of the murukku mixture in your palms and it should hold itself together. it should not break or fall apart. if it breaks or falls apart, then add 1 to 2 teaspoons more of the ghee. mix again very well and then check.
15. now add water in parts and begin to mix and knead.
16. keep on adding water in parts and knead very well.
17. you will need about 10 to 11 tablespoons of water. the amount of water needed will depend on the quality of rice flour. check the taste of dough and add more salt if required.
18. knead to a smooth and soft dough. also keep the dough slightly moist, but do not make too moist as then the murukku absorbs more oil. murukku has to be made as soon as you knead the dough, so keep everything ready before you shape and fry them
step 3 – shaping murukku
19. now divide the dough in two parts and add first part in murukku maker. cover the second part of dough with a kitchen towel.
20. before you begin to shape the murukku, keep oil in a kadai to get heated. keep the oil on a low or medium-low flame, so that it does not become too hot. use butter paper or parchment paper squares. cut them and keep ready before you make murukku. press the murukku maker and move in rounds to get the concentric circles or spiral shape on the paper squares. break the dough towards the end and press it to the last concentric circle of the spiral.
tip 1 – if the murukku breaks while forming them, this means that the dough does not have enough moisture. add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water and knead the dough again.
tip 2 – if you are not getting proper shape, this mean that the dough is too moist. add some rice flour and knead again.
21. make a batch of murukku e.g make 3 to 5 murukkus that you will be frying.
step 4 – frying murukku
22. next test the hotness of the oil. add a small piece of the dough in the oil and it should come up gradually. if it comes up fast, the oil is hot, so reduce the flame. if it sticks or is at the bottom or comes up slowly, the oil is not hot enough, so increase the flame.
23. take the butter paper with the murukku in your hands. then take a small to medium sized wooden spatula and place it on the murukku gently.
24. then gently turn over the spatula. the butter paper will be facing you.
25. lift the butter paper gently.
26. the murukku will be neatly placed on the wooden spatula.
27. now gently tilt or place the spatula in oil, so that the murukku slids in the oil.
28. add the remaining murukku also in this manner.
29. fry on a medium flame.
30. when they turn light golden, then flip them gently.
31. fry the second side.
32. fry the murukku till the oil stops sizzling or till they become crisp and golden. do not brown them too much. turn over as needed for even frying.
33. remove with a slotted spoon draining extra oil in the kadai or pan itself.
34. place the fried murukku on kitchen paper towels to soak extra oil.
35. tip 3 – check the first batch of murukku. if it looks like that the murukku has absorbed more oil or breaks in oil, then add some rice flour, about 1 to 2 tablespoons and knead again. this happens if too much fat has gone in the dough. once they cool at room temperature, then store murukku in an air-tight box at room temperature.
36. serve murukku as a tea-time snack.
