Murukus | Savouries

Thengul

Ingredients

• Urad dal - 1 cup
• Rice - 4 cups

Grind the urad dal and rice to a smooth flour and sieve it (if required). Keep this aside.

• Cumin seeds (jeera) - 1 1/2 tsps
• Butter - 1/2 tbsp
• Salt - to taste
• Water - to knead the dough
• Asafoetida (hing) - 1/4 tsp
• Oil to fry
• Muruku mould

Preparation method

1. Take a wide vessel and add the rice-urad dal flour, cumin seeds, salt, asafoetida and mix well.
2. Melt the butter and slightly heat it. Add this to the above mixture.
3. Knead the mixture to a smooth dough by adding water, little at a time.
4. Heat oil in a pan.
5. When the oil is hot, add the dough to the mould and press them into the oil.
6. Fry them until they are cooked and crunchy.
7. Drain the excess oil on a tissue paper.
8. Store them in an air-tight container to retain the crunch.

This muruku is meant to be slightly creamish in color, and they will not turn red/golden/brown. Awesome evening snack, with a cup of coffee :-)

Chakli

Ingredients

• Hesaru bele (Pongal dal) - 1 cup
• Maida or all purpose flour - 4 cups
• Water to cook the dal - 1 3/4 - 2 cups
• Water - to knead the dough
• Salt - to taste
• Chakli mould
• Cumin seeds (jeera) - 2 tsps
• Asafoetida (hing) - 1/4 tsp
• Oil to fry

Pressure cook the dal and the all purpose flour simultaneously in a pressure cooker. Add the dal in a vessel and add the flour in a white clean muslin cloth and tie it tighly.

Preparation method

1. Remove the cooked flour and break it well so there are no lumps.
2. Add oil to a deep fry pan and allow it to heat. When it is hot, add 3-4 tsps of hot oil to the all purpose flour and mix it well.
3. Add the cooked dal to the flour. Make sure the excess water is removed and stored seperately (just in case you require it at a later time, while kneading the dough).
4. Add salt, hing, jeera and start kneading to make a smooth dough.
5. When the oil is hot, add the dough to the chakli mould and press them into the oil.
6. Fry them until they are cooked and crunchy.
7. Drain the excess oil on a tissue paper.
8. Store them in an air-tight container to retain the crunch.

Preparation time - 1hr 30 mins

Rice flour, chana, urad dal muruku

Ingredients

• Rice (nicely ground to fine powder and sieved) - 1 kilo
• Chana dal - 2 cups
• Urad dal - 1 cup
• Salt - to taste
• Muruku mould
• Carom seeds (oma/vaamu) - 3 tsps
• Sesame seeds (til) - 3 tsps
• Asafoetida (hing) - 1/4 tsp
• Oil to fry
• Water - to knead the dough

Roast the chana and urad dal until golden brown. Cool it and then grind the rice, and the roasted dals together. Sieve it until fine and keep it in a container.

Preparation method

1. Add oil to a deep fry pan and allow it to heat. When it is hot, add 3-4 tsps of hot oil to the flour and mix it well.
2. Add salt, hing, carom seeds, sesame seeds and water. Start kneading to make a smooth dough.
3. When the oil is hot, add the dough to the muruku mould and press them into the oil.
4. Fry them until they are cooked and slightly brown.
5. Drain the excess oil on a tissue paper.
6. Store them in an air-tight container to retain the crunch.

Preparation time - 2hrs