Description
Murukku takes many turns with every region and culture. Here is an Andhra speciality… murukku is called Janthikalu in Telugu and they always make theirs very hot and spicy. This recipe is similar to our thenkuzhal preparation but made with gram flour instead of Urad flour along with some additions.
Murukku / Spicy Janthickalu / Chakli / Deep fried Snacks
| Ingredients | |
|---|---|
| 1 cup | Rice flour |
| ½ cup | Gram flour (besan) |
| 1 tsp | Dalia flour (pottukadali maavu) |
| 1 tsp | Red chili powder |
| ¼ tsp | Turmeric powder |
| ¼ tsp | Asafoetida powder |
| ¼ tsp | Ajwain powder |
| 1 pinch | Baking soda |
| 1 tsp | Salt (exact measure) |
| ½ cup | Water (exact measure) |
| 1½ tbsp | Ghee / butter room temperature |
| 5 cup | Oil |
| ½ tsp | Cumin seeds |
Instructions
Mix rice flour, gram flour, dalia flour, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, ajwain powder, baking soda, asafoetida powder, sesame seeds, cumin seeds, and salt. Cut in the butter / ghee and mix to form a crumbly texture. Then slowly add water and knead well to form a soft ball. Meanwhile heat oil and keep the pan ready on medium high flame. Use a Murukku press with round nozzle or plate, squeeze in a small portion of the dough, and press over the hot oil. Fry until its golden and drain excess oil by placing them over a paper towel. Cool completely and store in an air -tight container.
Notes
Check the oil temperature before dropping the murukku. Try with a small sample.
Always fry the murukku on medium high flame, otherwise it will brown the outer layer, and dough will be partially cooked inside.
Do them in batches, do not over crowd them while frying.
Use 1/2 tsp kashmiri chilli powder for colour if you wish. All these ingredients are store bought ready made flour, just grind dalia at home if you cannot find them in stores. Ajwain can be either crushed coarsely or powdered. Use room temperature butter or ghee for this recipe. Above recipe has exact measures, keep everything ready and proceed without fear.
This may yield about 12 murukkus approx, I usually don’t shape them, just directly press them over oil , it saves time. If you wish you can shape them and use only the nozzle shown above, bigger nozzles will not suit for this recipe.
If you don’t have a Murukku Achu , not a problem, use a regular ziplock bag. Make small cut on one side of a ziplock and press the dough through that. It should work fine.