Easy Pottukadalai murukku recipe | Diwali snacks

Pottukadalai murukku is my long time wish to try. Pottukadalai / Roasted gram dal/ chutney dal / split roasted gram dal is an easily available ingredients in our households. We use it for chutneys mostly. When I was a kid, if we get to taste some store bought murukku, it will be having an unique flavor, which we don’t get in the thenkuzhal murukku we make usually. My mom used to say it is made with pottukadalai. Later we used to try the same at home. But always ended up in oil drunken soft murukkus. The mistake we did was adding too much of pottukadalai flour. So after many years, with some knowledge that we need less flour along with the rice flour more in ratio, I saw a recipe in my cookbook mom gave. But it involved wet grinding of the flour. I am yet to try that version but this instant version is really easy to adapt as we can buy store bought rice flour and just powder the pottukadalai we have at home and make this murukku anytime. This can be made so easily in a jiffy, I tried with less amount, you can make the same for this Diwali 2014 as snack. Everyone gonna love this one!
Check out the other murukku recipes from Rak's kitchen

1. Potato murukku
2. Thenkuzhal murukku
3. Kai murukku
4. Wheat flour murukku
5. Ring murukku
6. Magizhampoo murukku
7. Mini cashew murukku

I made this murukku with the press my MIL bought me in Kumbakonam Kumbeswarar temple street shops. She got one murukku press last year and loved it, so she wanted to buy me as well. It is small comparatively and even the plates have tiny holes than the regular ones. She loves tiny things and so do I. The murukkus made with tiny holes plated press is more whiter in colour, more crispier as it gets fried easily in the hot oil. Try yourself to see the difference.

Easy pottukadalai murukku recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian  |  Recipe Category: Snacks
Prep Time: 10 mins    |  Cook time: 25 mins    |  Makes: 15

Ingredients

Rice flour (I used store bought)	1 & 1/4 cup
Pottukadalai powder	1/4 cup
Ajwain/ omam	1 tsp
Asafoetida	a generous pinch
Hot oil	1 tblsp
Salt	As needed

 

Method

1. Powder the pottukadali in a mixie and sieve it(not shown in picture). You can powder more than needed and store for future use.

2. Heat required oil in a kadai. Mean while you can make the dough. Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl, mix well. Add hot oil from the kadai and mix well. Add water gradually and carefully to make a smooth dough.

3. I used the regular 3 eyed thenkuzhal plate for this, you can use the star shaped ones too. Fill the press 3/4th with the dough and sqeeze it either directly over the hot oil or over few greased ladles and then carefully flip to the oil. I did the later as I cant handle the heat when we squeeze over the hot oil as steam will be too hot. Also squeezing in ladle then transferring aids good shape. I always do this from the beginning which I learnt from my MIL. Make sure oil is hot enough by checking dropping a small piece of dough, it should come up immediately.

4. I fried 3 at a time. Cook both sides until golden in colour in medium flame. Shh sound should cease and bubbles should be reduced.

5. Drain in paper towel and cool down before transferring to the airtight container.

Notes

• While flipping the murukku in hot oil, be gentle and careful otherwise hot oil will spill.
  
• Oil should always be hot when you drop the murukkus, otherwise murukku will drink oil and be oily.
  
• After dropping the murukku, cook the murukku in medium flame to ensure even cooking and golden colour murukkus.
  
• You can replace ajwain with white sesame or jeera, but I like ajwain the best.
  
• DO NOT add more oil in dough than required, otherwise the murukku will disintegrate in oil.
  
• If murukku breaks while you press, then sprinkle little more water to make it smoother dough.
  
• Keep the dough always covered to avoid drying. Also if doing in large quantity, I suggest you to do in smaller batches, otherwise if you make dough bulk and let it sit, the last murukkus will turn red.
  
• Make sure you keep enough oil to fry the murukkus, otherwise, it will get burnt at the  bottom of the murukku.
  
• Top up oil if needed when doing in large batches. But wait for oil to get hot again.

Enjoy these crispiest murukkus as snack along the coffee/ tea, the unique flavor of ajwain goes well with the pottukadalai murukku!

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