Murukku is a popular South Indian fried snack made with rice flour, lentil flours, spices and seasonings. There are many types of murukku recipes made in South Indian households. I share a basic murukku recipe with plenty of troubleshooting tips and pointers making it easy for you to make these crispy and crunch snack from scratch.
Table of Contents
About Murukku
Also called Murukulu, murruku is a round and spiral shaped snack made with cereal and lentil flours. They are a tea time snack and also made during festivals in bulk quantities.
My recipe is an easy method for making the South Indian murukku. Here I have used store brought rice flour. Together with rice flour, you will also need urad dal flour. Urad dal is also known as black gram or matpe bean.
You can opt to make your own homemade urad dal flour in a mixer-grinder or can use packaged urad dal flour. To make urad dal flour from scratch you will need to use the husked or hulled lentils.
The recipe can easily 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 the readers.
My recipe yields about 32 to 35 small sized murukku. Depending on the size of the murukku, the numbers can decrease or increase. I have made them small for the ease of frying. But you can make them slightly larger.
Murukku is also known as murukulu, chakralu and jantikalu in Andhra and Telangana states. In Maharashtra it is called chakli. But the ingredients used in making Chakli Recipe are different than the ones used in making this South Indian murukku.
Making murukku is similar to making chakli. Just a few things have to be kept in mind before you make these. I have mentioned the tips and suggestions in the steps itself, so that it is easy and helpful to you.
To make these concentric spiral circles, you need a special equipment called murukku press or chakli maker. There are various kinds that are available in stores here in India. You can also buy them online. Choose the one that is easy to work with.
Usually I prefer to make snacks like murukku or Shankarpali or Sev etc 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 at room temperature.
How to make Murukku Recipe
For ease of understanding, I have divided this stepwise photo guide for the murukku recipe into 4 steps:
- Making urad dal flour
- Making dough
- Shaping murukku
- Frying murukku
If you are planning to use packaged urad dal flour, then move to the second main step of making dough.
1. Making Urad Dal Flour
1. Heat a small frying pan or kadai. Keep the heat to its lowest and add 3 tablespoons urad dal (40 grams).
2. Begin to dry 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. Transfer to 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 or a small blender.
5. Grind to a fine flour. Set aside. Ensure that the flour texture is fine. A coarser or gritty texture will tear the dough while shaping.
More Prep
6. Meanwhile, spread oil on the murukku disc. This is a one star shaped disc and will be a part of the murruku maker that you have.
7. Also spread some oil on the part of the murukku maker vessel where the dough will be placed. Secure and tighten the oiled disc to the main vessel of the muruku maker as in the photo below.
2. Making Dough
8. In a fine sieve, take 1 cup rice flour (150 grams).
9. Also add the prepared, homemade urad dal flour to the same sieve.
10. Next add ¼ teaspoon red chili 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 white sesame seeds, ½ teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain or omam) and 2 tablespoons ghee (40 grams).
Note that 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 or sticky dough as then the murukku will absorb more oil.
Murukku has to be made as soon as you knead the dough, so keep everything ready before you shape and fry them. Also do not let the dough rest for any amount of time.
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, take oil as required for deep frying in a kadai (wok) or frying pan. Begin to heat oil.
Keep the oil on a low or medium-low heat, so that it does not become too hot. Use any high-smoke point neutral flavored oil.
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. Example, make 3 to 5 murukku that you will be frying.
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 heat. If it sticks or is at the bottom or comes up slowly, the oil is not hot enough, so increase the heat.
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 heat or at a temperature of 180 to 190 degrees Celsius.
30. When they turn light golden, then flip them gently with a slotted ladle or perforated spoon. Do not flip them early as they can break while turning over.
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.
TIP 3 – Check the first batch of murukku after they have been fried. If it looks that they has absorbed more oil or they break in the 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.
33. Remove with a slotted spoon draining extra oil in the kadai or pan itself. This way fry the murukku in batches.
34. Place the fried murukku on kitchen paper towels to soak extra or excess oil.
35. Once they cool at room temperature, then store murukku in an airtight container or jar at room temperature.
These keep well for a couple of weeks at room temperature. But make sure that they are stored in an airtight jar or container so that they do not soften.
36. Serve murukku as a tea-time snack.
More South Indian Festive Snacks
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Murukku Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons urad dal – 40 grams
- 1 cup rice flour – 150 grams
- ¼ teaspoon asafoetida powder (hing) – can also add ⅛ teaspoon asafoetida
- ¼ teaspoon red chilli 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 ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 tablespoons Ghee – 40 grams
- 10 to 11 tablespoons water or add as required
- oil as required for deep frying
Instructions
Making urad dal flour
- Heat a small frying pan or kadai. Keep the heat 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 make them brown. Remove in a plate and let the roasted urad dal cool at room temperature.
- Take the roasted urad dal in a small dry grinder jar or a small chutney grinder jar. Grind to a fine flour. 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 urad dal flour to the same sieve.
- Next add red chilli powder, asafoetida powder and salt.
- Sift the dry ingredients twice.
- To the sifted flours add sesame seeds, carom seeds and ghee.
- 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 or wet 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 (wok) or frying pan to get heated. Keep the oil on a low or medium-low heat, so that it does not become very hot. Use any neutral flavored oil with a high smoke point.
- 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 murukku 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 heat. If it sticks or is at the bottom or comes up slowly, the oil is not hot enough, so increase the heat.
- 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 slides in the oil.
- Add the remaining murukku also in this manner. Fry on a medium heat.
- 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.
- 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.
- Remove with a slotted spoon draining extra oil in the kadai or pan itself.
- Place them on kitchen paper towels to soak extra oil.
- Once they cool at room temperature, then store murukku in an air-tight box at room temperature.
- Serve murukku as a tea-time snack.
Notes
- Make sure the dough is of the correct texture and consistency. If it is too pasty or wet, you won’t be able to shape the dough into the concentric spiral rings. To correct add a few tablespoons of rice flour and knead again.
- If the dough is dry, it will break or tear while shaping. Add a few tablespoons of water. Mix and knead.
- To make a spicier murukku, add about 1 teaspoon green chilli paste. You can also add about 1 teaspoon garlic paste together with the green chilli paste.
- While deep frying, keep the heat to medium. Fry the murruku in batches in a moderately hot oil having about 180 to 190 degrees Celsius. The oil must not be smoking hot or warm. A very hot oil will burn or brown the murukku too quickly. A warm temperature will make them absorb more oil.
- This recipe can be scaled to make a smaller batch or a larger batch.
- Note that the approximate nutrition info is for 1 small murukku.
Nutrition Info (Approximate values)
This Murukku Recipe post from the archives (June 2018) has been updated and republished on 22 October 2021.
Thx for the yummy recipe 😊.
Also can you please suggest a good brand for murukku/sev maker on Amazon.
There are so many options, it’s hard to decide.
Thanks so much.
Welcome Tulika. I don’t know which brand is good. I have two murruku makers and both are nice. One has that press and lock mechanish like Anjali brand. The brand which I have is not available on amazon. This type of murruku maker is much better as you do not have to press your hand’s weight on it. In this recipe, I have used the second murruku maker I have. For this much weight and pressure has to be applied. It is this brass murukku press on amazon.in.
Thanks for the reciepe with tips…..works perfectly
thanks a lot hema. thanks for the rating too.
Murukku was crispy and tasty. Thanks for sharing your recipe. Hope to try many more of your recipes.
Thanks for the feedback and welcome. Sure, do try more recipes.
Murukku was perfect ????. Crisp, tasty and too good. Thanks for sharing recipe with tips.
welcome latha and thanks for sharing this positive feedback.