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.
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.
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.
Murukku recipe – (murukulu or jantikalu)
Murukku recipe | How to make murukku | Murukulu | Jantikalu
Murukulu or murukku is a south Indian deep fried snack made with rice flour and urad dal flour. These are crispy, light, aromatic and delicious. Murukku are known as murukulu, jantikalu or chakralu in Andhra.
Ingredients (240 ml cup used)
Ingredients for murukku
- 1 cup rice flour (good quality)
- 4 tbsp urad dal (about ¼ cup) (refer notes)
- 1 tbsp oil 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)
- oil for deep frying
How to make the recipe
Preparation for murukulu or murukku
Grease the murukku mould with little oil. Also grease the star shaped plate.
Dry roast 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 2 to 3 tbsp flour from this. For details refer notes.
Making murukku dough
Add rice flour, urad dal flour, ajwain, salt, 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.
Place the laddle in the oil or remove the murukku and drop gently in the hot oil.
Fry until golden and crisp on a medium high flame. If the oil is not hot enough murukku will turn soft after a day or two. Drain them on a kitchen tissue to remove excess oil.
Cool them completely. Store murukku in a airtight jar.
Recipe Notes
The quantity of urad flour can be increased upto 4 tbsps, They turn very aromatic and light but absorb little more oil than the ones made with 2 tbsp. flour. So you can even use 3 or 4 tbsp flour to suit your liking.
They have to be fried on medium high heat. Make sure you do not fry them on a low heat.
Preparation to make murukku recipe
1. Clean and 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. Refer the notes.
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, 2 to 3 tbsp uraddal 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.
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!
April P says
This recipe is great and really fast to prepare. Chukri/murukku came out crispy and delicious!
swasthi says
Thanks for trying