If you see Indian movies and there is no way you will fail to notice how expressive the hero and heroine are. (like DD says 'Is there nothing besides love as themes in Indian movies?') They vocally express their love for each other the hero and heroine that is. The hero as a loving son(is there any other kind? in movies) hugs and kisses his mom for making gajar halwa. There is always a loving mom for our romantic hero. It slips my mind what Tamil movie moms routinely cook for their sons. This overt public display of affection happens only in movies period.
Well I digress, the expression of affection in the first sentence was because my mom sent me an easy to use murukku press just in time. The one I had before was so hard to press that I came very close to never making murukkus again ever.
Decided on an impromptu murukku making session with a friend which meant there was no time to soak or grind like the recipe here. So decided on making murukku with rice flour instead. It turned out to be quick and easy, with 2 pairs of hands and an easier murukku press it was a much more pleasurable experience. The rice to urad dal flour ratio is 4:1.
Murukku with rice flour
1. 3 Cups of rice flour
2. 3/4 cups of urad dal powder (roast split urad dal powder till slightly brown, cool and powder)
3. 3 tbsp of butter
4. 2-3 tbsp of red chili powder (or to taste)
5. salt to taste
6. 2 tsp of ajwain
7. 1 Cup of water
8. 2 cups of oil to deep fry
Method
1. Bring the water to a temperature slightly above room temperature
2. Pour in the water a little by little to make a stiff but pliable dough (too much water will make the murukku absorb a lot of oil)
3. Keep the dough covered with a moist towel
4. Fill the dough into the murukku press and make desired shapes
5. Drop them one by one into hot oil
6. Fry till they turn a bright golden color (when the bubbles in the oil subside
remove and dry on paper towels)
7. Let cool and store
Perfect for chilly fall evenings, ISG -- I like the 'easy way' :)
ReplyDeleteLove the murukkus! Will give it a try soon.
ReplyDeleteThere are Indian movies that go beyond the ubiquitous love! Check out Bengali cinema and Mallu movies. They so parallel cinema quite well!
That is really cute Indo! :) Actually I think Indians are more expressive than westerners. Atleast wrt openly saying what comes to their mind. One would think they would express love also similarly.
ReplyDeleteI like your idea of using flours for muruku. I need to get a murukku press.. your new one still looks intimidating to me.
Crispy murukkus looks fabulous..
ReplyDeleteI am sure your parents will be happy reading you voice it..:) Love your easy murukus..it is great that one can do these so quickly!..Hope you had a great Deepavali with kids..
ReplyDeleteI love these murukku and whish i could grab few, i totally agree we never say to our parents love you not like int he west. But i think the generationnow is changing thoug.
ReplyDeleteMurukku and easy- those two words in the same phrase? Can it be true? I have an unused chakli press too- now you are inspiring me to take the plunge and use it :)
ReplyDeleteYour murukku look picture perfect.
As is Indian culture. Didn't they ask you "Whats wrong with you? Are you OK?" on reading this :D :P The murukus ooze a crunch no no project a crunch....ooze is for liquids naa :p. Felt naughty...so..
ReplyDeleteHa, ha...true. We don't say "I love you" as adults all that much and it would sound weird if I said that now :-D
ReplyDeleteTypo: "because my sent me an easy to use murukku press just in time". Though of course the first sentence over rides this and we know who it is by default :)
The right murukku press makes all the difference. I use rice flour too and have not been disappointed. I love that picture where the murkkus are being formed :)
ReplyDeleteThis looks soo tempting, i wanted to try a bunch right away!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Indo,
ReplyDeleteWhen it is winter I automatically look for savouries like murukku to snack. Your murukkus look so yummy. I made a batch myself the week end before Diwali and like you I normally have a hard time with the murukku press. My mom said not to mix all the dough at the same time since this dries out the dough quickly and makes it difficult to press. So I mixed small amounts each time and this really made it easy to press. Also if you add a little coconut milk along with water it makes it easy to press the murukkus..however not very healthy.
love the pic and so very tempting.
ReplyDeletelove the pic and so very tempting.
ReplyDeleteI know, my parents would probably wonder what came over me if I said this kind of stuff to them - on other occasions, I've been told not to be dramatic and spew "cinema dialogues".
ReplyDeleteSS, looks are deceiving - it was easy to press.
ReplyDeleteNupur, of course!. It was an intimidating process for a long time, it is far simpler than baking for example. Go for it!!
Girija, very good tips. I think the last time I added very little water and that perhaps was also one reason besides the press being brand new.
SS, Anjali, Sandeepa, Sra, HC I will let you all know what the reaction was.
ReplyDeleteAnjali, of course they oozed and projected some marvelous crunch :)
Instead of roasting and powdering urad dal, Pressure cook equal amount of urad and moong dal and then make batter out of cooked dals. Use the dal batter to mix the rice floor instead of water. Add all the spices, salt and a little hot oil to rice floor before adding the batter. Murukus turn out very crisp and light.
ReplyDeleteWhile the murukku looks delicious, I want to turn my attention to your comment... As Indians, it is very unusual for us to verbalize the fact that we love our near and dear ones... the truth can be said of West Indian Indians as well. Growing up my mom never verbalized her feelings but we knew that she and my dad loved us (I grew up in a bi-racial home). Dad never said it either and I think it is because mom never said it. But we knew...
ReplyDeleteIt is only in the past 6 years that I would hear my mom say to me at the other end of the phone - I love you baby. The first time she said it, I was stunned, completely at a loss for words and barely mumbled that I love her too, for it was the first time I myself was verbalizing my affection to my mom. Sure, I'd say it in cards and letters but never like this...
When I speak with my favourite aunt - my mom's eldest sister who I love dearly - and tell her that I love her, she gets so uncomfortable and speechless, it is if she does not know what to do or say, her response is always, "alright baby." I know that for her it means I love you too...
Oh gosh, Indo, you have opened some major emotions in me...
:) Its true isnt it - traditionally we do all these things which are drenched in love, but seldom verbalize it in sentences....I have however been very close to my Dad and since I shifted over to email 15 years back, make sure I let him know ever so often...especially since I discovered that life can be very short!
ReplyDeleteThe murukkus look awesome...
oh, i wish i had a chakli press to try this recipe. the weather is perfect for some freshly made murukku!
ReplyDeleteI have been looking for a good murukku recipe and will keep in this in mind ISG.
ReplyDelete