Murukku recipe – Murukulu or murukku is a deep fried Snack made with rice flour and dal flour. Chakli, chakuli, chakralu and jantikalu are the other Indian names to these. There are so many varieties of murukku, the one I am sharing here is a basic, very old and standard recipe that is followed by many South Indian women.
There are so many variations of making murukku using sago, besan, wheat flour, fried gram, rice batter etc, all lend a different texture and taste.
This one is very different with an aroma of roasted urad flour and are crunchy as well light in texture.
I had few requests for easy chakli (chakralu), butter murukku, ribbon murukku /ribbon pakoda, omapodi and few other snacks. I made this basic version in small quantity as my kids don’t eat these deep fried snacks much.
This recipe can be doubled as well and can be used to make both murukulu and jantikalu.
Step-by-step photos
Preparation to make murukku recipe
You can skip this section and use roasted gram or pottukadalai or fried gram. Powder 3 tbsps roasted gram and use only tbsps powder. You will be left with a little more which you can up for stir fry recipes.
1. Clean and dry roast ¼ cup or 4 tbsp urad dal/ minapappu on a medium flame. I do not suggest skipping the roasting part as it may make murukulu chewy after a day or two.
2. Keep stirring and roast evenly. When they turn lightly golden, off the heat. Do not over roast.
3. Cool and add to a blender.
4. Powder to a fine flour. If the flour is coarse and not fine, then seive it.
Dough for murukku recipe
5. Add 1 cup rice flour, 4 tbsp urad dal flour (or 3 tbsps roasted gram flour) , ajwain (omam/ vammu), chilli powder, sesame seeds and salt. I did not have sesame seeds so skipped. I also skipped red chili as my little kid cannot eat spicy foods.
6. Mix everything well. Then heat up 1 tbsp oil in a kadai and pour it. Mix everything well. Hot oil makes them light.
7. Pour water little by little and knead the flour to make smooth non sticky dough.
8. If the dough is sticky and soggy, it will absorb lot of oil while frying. If very dry then murukku / murukulu will break while making them.
9. Grease the mould, fit the star muruku plate. Stuff the dough inside.
Keep it ready.
How to make murukku
10. Slowly begin to press the mould to release the dough and make a spiral. A moist cloth, foil or butter papper can be used to place the murukku. I prefer to use small cuts of butter paper for convenience, as it is easy to lift each one and fry.
11. If you are a beginner, you can also make these on steel spatulas. A holed spatula works better.
12. Put on the flame to medium high. Make sure the oil is hot enough. Place them when the oil is hot enough. To check if the oil is hot, drop a tiny flat piece of dough in the oil, it floats if the oil is ready. The muruku will come out from the spatula when it is getting fried.
13. If made on a cloth or foil, you can lift them gently and drop in oil. Fry on a medium flame and keep stirring for even frying. Fry until golden and crisp. Bubbles begin to reduce when fried well. If not fried well, they will turn chewy after 1 to 2 days, so make sure to fry evenly on a medium flame.
14. Drain the murukku on a kitchen tissue.
Store murukku in a air tight stainless steel or glass jar.
15. The same dough is used to make jantikalu. They are made with large holed sev plate or jantikalu plate. These are fairly easy and can make them directly in the hot oil.
16. Fry murukulu until golden stirring often. Drain on a kitchen tissue.
Break to pieces and store in a air tight jar.
Tips to make crunchy murukku
1. Always make a stiff dough that is not sticky. Too much moisture in the dough will make murukku absorb lot of oil.
2. Use up the dough immediately and fry the murukku. Resting the dough will make murukku oily.
3. If you plan to make murukku with more then 2 cups of flour, then make the dough in batches.
4. Always fry them on a medium high heat otherwise murukku will turn soft after 1 to 2 days.
5. If the oil is not hot enough then they absorb more oil and they turn soft the next day.
Rice flour for murukku
Please use good quality raw rice flour that is fine and smells good. Traditionally short grain raw rice is rinsed and soaked well for 1 to 2 hours. Then drained and shade dried for a while. It is then milled to fine flour.
This process makes the murukku lighter as well. So If using store bought rice flour you may get different results unless you ensure you use raw rice flour.
More murukku recipes
Butter murukulu
Karasev
Thattai recipe
Sweet muruku
Ribbon pakoda
Omapodi/ sev
Chakli
You may like to check this collection of Diwali snacks recipes and Diwali Sweets recipes.
Recipe
Murukku recipe – (murukulu or jantikalu)
Murukku recipe | How to make murukku | Murukulu | Jantikalu
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
Ingredients for murukku
- 1 cup rice flour (good quality fine flour
- 4 tbsp urad dal (or 3 tbsp roasted gram flour or pottukadalai)
- 1 tbsp hot oil
- ¾ tsp sesame seeds
- ¾ tsp carom seeds or ajwain or omam or vaamu
- ½ tsp salt or as needed
- ½ tsp red chili powder or as needed (optional)
- 1/8 tsp asafoetida or hing (optional)
- 2.5 to 3 cups oil for deep frying
Instructions
Preparation for murukulu or murukku
- You can use urad dal or roasted gram for this recipe. If using roasted gram, just blend 3 tbsps and use only 3 tbsps powder in the recipe.
- If using urad dal, dry roast 4 tbsps urad dal on a medium heat until lightly golden.
- Cool and make a fine powder. If the powder is not fine then sieve it.
- Use only 4 tbsp flour from this. You will be left with little more.
- Grease the murukku mould with little oil. Also grease the star shaped plate.
Making murukku dough
- Add 1 cup rice flour, 4 tbsps urad dal flour (or 3 tbsps roasted gram flour), ¾ tsp ajwain, salt, ¾ tsp sesame seeds to a bowl and mix well.
- Next heat 1 tbsp oil in a small pan and pour it to the flour. Mix well.
- Pour water little by little, just enough to make a smooth dough.
- Do not add too much water at one time. Too much water in the dough will make the murukku absorb lot of oil.
- Mix the flour to dough and do not knead. The dough has to be non sticky & without crumbs.
- After mixing the dough it has to be used immediately do not rest it otherwise murukku will absorb lot of oil.
How to make murukku
- Heat oil in a kadai on a medium heat. (Pls refer to tips in the post intro)
- Fill the mould with dough.
- Press the mould to make spirals either on a cloth, butter paper, foil or flat holed ladle.
- Set the flame to medium high.
- Check if the oil is hot enough by dropping a small portion of the dough to the hot oil.
- The dough must not sink but has to rise steadily without browning. This is the right heat.
- If the oil is not hot enough murukku will turn soft after a day or two.
- Place the murukku laddle in the oil or remove the murukku and slide it gently to the hot oil.
- Fry until golden and crisp on a medium high flame.
- Drain them on a kitchen tissue to remove excess oil.
- Cool the murukku completely. Store murukku in a airtight jar.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
Notes
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
© Swasthi’s Recipes
VISHLAVATH NEHA says
Hi swasthi my murukku came out harder..what is the solution to make soft murukku
swasthi says
Hi Neha,
They will come out hard if fried on low flame. What kind of flour did you use?
VISHLAVATH NEHA says
I used rice flour only didn’t mix Urad dal
swasthi says
Without urad dal they will come out hard. Pls stick to the recipe for best results
M.Parimala Jyothi says
Like all your recipes this one is also simple and best . Your recipes are not only limited to us , our children will also learn your recipes. God bless you. Happy Ganesha Chaturthi.
swasthi says
Happy Ganesh Chaturthi to you all as well.
Thank you so much for the wishes.
Glad to know the recipes are useful
🙂
Nivedha says
Very easy to prepare.. Tastes good.. Can prepare in no minute..Thank you Swasthi for Sharing your recipe:-)
Veda says
Excellent. My first time making Murukku and it was just delicious. 5 stars
swasthi says
Thank you!
Sushma says
Nice recipe ,it is very easy to make chakli,all ingredients r available at home need to my outside .Quick and very easy recipes thank you
swasthi says
Welcome Sushma
Krithika says
U r amazing ,sister
Really appreciate for guiding us with perfect tips
Thank u for giving us such confidence
Wishing u and ur family a very happy DIWALI
swasthi says
Hi Krithika,
You are most welcome. Thank you so much for the wishes. Wishing you all too a very happy Diwali.
🙂
Narjis Fatima says
Great help👍…i followed ur recipe and it was perfect in the first go!
swasthi says
Glad your murukku turned out good. Thank you!
Gayathri says
Thankyou…
I tried it today nd it came out well…
Am a regular follower of your blog. Keep going. All the best.
swasthi says
Hi Gayathri,
You are welcome. Glad your murukku turned out well. Thank you so much for the wishes.
🙂
Sarah Alexander says
I like to learn more recipes south n north Indian with the basics I like to prove and I’m interested in learning your recipes are with trying 😉😁
swasthi says
Thanks Sarah
Yes do try the recipes. Hope you enjoy them!
Meghana velamuri says
I try this recipe yesterday it’s was so crunchy and mouthwatering I like this recipe very much thanks for giving this recipe
swasthi says
Welcome Meghana,
Glad your murukku turned out good. Thanks for the comment.
Vinod says
The murrkus turned too hard to chew followed th method as mentioned. Seems to be some mistake somewhere.
swasthi says
Hi Vinod,
They turn very hard if fried on a low flame.
It also depends on the rice flour. Homemade rice flour is best to get soft murukku. We usually soak the rice for 2 hours, drain the water and dry them. Make the rice flour. Dry it completely or roast and use. This makes a lot of difference in the texture of murukku.
As I mentioned in the notes urad dal is the key. To make them lighter you will have to use more urad dal flour upto 4 tbsps. Not sure how much you used.
Hope this helps
Mychelle says
Love to make the muruku as my girl requested it but 50 % 0f the inggredients i have no idea what it is . can u help
swasthi says
Hi Mychelle,
Yes sure I can help you.
Rice flour is fine ground flour made from rice.
Urad dal is skinned black gram flour. You can also replace this with just gram flour.
All these ingredients can be found in an asian or Indian grocery or food store. Hope you have the murukku mold. If not you can use a zip lock bag like we use for frosting. If you need any further help, feel free to comment here.
🙂
Percis says
Swasthi- your recipe are always simple , practical and perfect.. have tried so many of your recipes and always give perfect results.. appreciate the wide selection of Indian foods too!!
swasthi says
Hi Percis
Thank you so much for trying. Glad to know the food turns out good.
🙂
Sandhya says
Hi swasthi, I made your nippattu. They came out awesome. I was unable to comment there so writing here. I want to make these murukku with store bought flour. Any suggestions on how to choose rice flour. I live in the US
swasthi says
Thanks for trying Sandhya
Any south Indian brand of rice flour should work. Some are labelled exclusively for murukku. You can try to find them. Actually making the flour at home is easy as well unless you want to make in large quantity.. Hope this helps.
Hema says
These murukku turned out exactly like the way I wanted them to be👌. Please add more murukku recipes for diwali
swasthi says
Hi Hema,
So glad to see your comment after a long time. Thanks for trying. Yes will try to add more
Archana Sriram says
Hi, Tried muruku with a little doubt but it came out very well. Thanks for the crisp description and clear illustration. I feel it might be a little hard (katukulu) because of the readymade flour from the shop. If rice flour is also washed and made at home it would be softer and easier for senior citizens. This defiinitely is a quick method and ok for children.
swasthi says
Hi Archana,
Welcome. Yes homemade flour yields better ones. If the dough is too tight then they will turn hard. For elderly people this Butter murukku is better as they are light yet crisp and doesn’t hurt the gums & tooth. Give it a try. Thanks for trying.
April P says
This recipe is great and really fast to prepare. Chukri/murukku came out crispy and delicious!
swasthi says
Thanks for trying
Archana says
I want to try your murukku receipe.. but can we prepare this murukku receipe with store bought rice flour? I currently live in USA, here we usually don’t get murukku flour
swasthi says
Hi Archana
I have made these always using store bought flour. Choose one without any additives preferably a good Indian brand. It will work well.
supriya says
Hi swasthi I tried the muruku recipe I usually like trying ur recipes but this time muruku has cme hard and taste also not like andra jantikalu flavour . Wht would be the reason I used store bought rice flour is this could be the reason .suggest me some tips ra
swasthi says
Supriya
I have replied ur earlier comment too. Yes I guess it is the rice flour or frying on low flame might have caused it. This is a family recipe and have been using this since decades .I suggest you try once more using good quality rice flour with all the tips given below. Hope this helps
Padma says
Hi swasthi
Want to try these ganesh chaturthi. loved ur butter murukku. Going to double the recipe, hope it will work.
swasthi says
Yes padma
It will work even if you double or halve the recipe. thank you
Neelam kalla says
Can we make murkku only from rice flour
swasthi says
You can use this ring murukku recipe and make. But they will turn slightly hard.