Maida-Murukku

#MaidaMurukku : #Murukku, a savory tastes good and flavorful only when prepared with rice flour in combination with other flour & condiments. But murukku can also be prepared with flours like #Kambu [ #PearlMillet ], maida and other flours. These murukkus also taste good with its own natural flavors.
Maida cannot be used as it is to make murukku. It has to be steamed for sometime before kneading the dough. The maida murukku comes out little bit softer than murukku done with rice flour. My daughter used to tell murukku should be a bit harder on your teeth. It shouln't melt in your mouth. But some like to enjoy softer murukku especially old and those who are having weak teeth!!
If the dough is not prepared carefully then the maida murukku becomes oily.
Here is the method to make crispy murukku using maida flour.
Preparation time : 10 minutes
Cooking time : 20 minutes
Number of murukku prepared approximately 7

Ingredients :
1/2 Cup	Maida
1 Tbsp	Besan [ Gram Flour ]
1 1/4 Tbsp	Fried Gram Flour [ Pottukadalai maavu ]
1/2 Tsp	Salt [ Adjust ]
1/2 Tsp	Red Chilly Powder
2 pinch	Asafoetida
1/4 Tsp	Omam [ Optional ]
1/4 Tsp	Cumin Seeds
1/4 Tsp	Till [ Ellu ]
1 Tsp	Hot oil

1 cup of oil to fry murukku.
#Murukkupress with murukku plate.

Method:
Take maida in a small basin/vessel and cover with a clean cloth.
Boil water in a idly maker or cooker on a stove over high flame.
Place the vessel containing maida covered with cloth over a stand inside the idly maker or cooker.
[Note : the vessel containing maida is covered with a cloth while steam cooking to avoid water droplets falling over it from the lid ]
Close with the lid. Reduce the flame to medium level.
If steam cooked in a cooker then do not put weight.
Steam cook for 7 - 8 minutes.
Take out and allow to cool down after 7 - 8 minutes.

When the steam-cooked-maida cools down to room temperature crumble it with fingers.
Then add all other ingredients. Mix well.

Heat oil in a kadai to fry murukku.
Take out hot oil from the kadai and add into the flour mixture.

Rub with fingers to mix oil well with the flour mixture.
Then add asafoetida water and knead into a tight dough adding enough water.

Fill the murukku press with enough dough. Close it with lid.

Drop a little dough into the hot oil.
If it comes up from the bottom of the hot oil to the surface of the oil and starts frying then the oil is ready to fry murukku.

Hold the murukkupress with dough at a distance directly above a small plate or ladle or dosai ladle.
Give pressure over the handle of murukkupress to get strings of dough to come out of it through small holes of the plate.
Swirl the murukkupress in order to make a circular layer of murukku on the small plate or ladle or dosai ladle.
Cut the strings of dough from the murukkupress.

Make 3 or 4 at a time on different plates or ladles.

Keep the murukku press aside. Drop the murukku done on plate/ladle gently one by one into the hot oil.
Three or four murukkus can be fried at a time.
Allow to fry for a minute or two.

Then flip them to fry the other side.
When the murukku stops frying and the oil becomes silent, take it out of the oil.

Drain over a plate layered with tissue paper to absorb the excess oil.

Repeat the above procedure to fry next batch of murukku.
Fry murukku in batches in the same way until the dough got over.
Store in an airtight container.

It can be stored for a week to 10 days.

Note :
Try to fry murukku as soon as the dough has been prepared.

If large quantity of murukkus have to be done then rub all dry ingredients with oil in a big vessel.
Keep aside.
Take out only 1/4 th of the flour mix rubbed with oil in another vessel and knead into a dough with asafoetida-water & water.

If dough is kneaded all together at the beginning itself then the last batches of murukku fried would come out harder than the one prepared in first few batches.

Other snack recipes you might like to try

Kambu Pakoda	Pakoda	Kambu Murukku
Savory Mixer	kara aval pori

Savory Varieties

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Vangi-Bath

#VangiBath : This is a famous mixed rice widely prepared in Karnataka, India. This rice is prepared with #brinjal and special dhal mix. I have prepared this rice a very very long time back following a recipe published in a Tamil magazine.
But this time I made vangi bath in my own method. Let me present the method here.

Ingredients :
1/2 Cup	Raw Rice
3 or 4	Brinjal
3 or 4	Onion. thinly slice
1/4 Cup	Spring Onion [Optional]
1/4 Cup	Coconut scrapping
3 or 4 Tsp	Gingelly Oil
3 or 4 Tsp	Araithuvitta kuzhambu powder
1/4 Tsp	Turmeric Powder
To Temper
2 or 3	Red chilly, break into pieces
1 Tsp	Mustard seeds
1 Tsp	Urad dal
2 Tsp	Gingelly oil

Method :

Cook rice following the method given at How to cook rice for mixed rice.

Cool down under fan after adding oil.

Now keep a kadai on a stove with oil over medium flame.

Crackle mustard seeds and then add red chilly pieces and urad dal.

Add curry leaves and turmeric powder when dal turns golden color.
After a few seconds add sliced onions and spring onion.
Saute until the onion gives out a nice smell.

Then cut brinjals into 1 inch long and 1 cm thick pieces and add into the kadai.
Add salt and saute for few seconds.

Close with a lid to cook brinjal soft.

When the brinjals are done add coconut and Araithuvitta kuzhambu powder.

Saute until the powder loses its raw smell and the aroma of coconut emanates from the kadai.

Add salt for rice to be added to this brinjal mixture in the kadai.

Now add cooled rice and mix well using a long ladle.
Adjust salt and Araithuvitta kuzhambu powder according to your taste.
Mix well using a ladle without mashing the rice.

Check salt and powder.
Turn off the stove and transfer into a serving bowl.

Relish with any curry of your choice and thayir pachadi [ curd salad ].

It can be packed for afternoon lunch in a tiffin box after cooling it down to room temperature.





You might also like to try

Coconut Drumstick leaf rice

Karuveppilai Rice

Kuthiraivaali Coriander Rice

Varagarisi Puliyodharai

Curd Rice [ Thayir Sadham ]

For other Rice Preparations

Rice Preparations

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Lunch Index

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Recipe Index

Araithuvitta-Kuzhambu-Powder

#AraithuvittaKuzhambuPowder : Sambar or Kuzhambu is generally prepared with #SambarPowder. But if the sambar is done with spices that are roasted and made into a paste with coconut on day to day basis then the taste of sambar will be very very tasty and flavorful. This sambar is known as araithuvitta sambar. I used to make a powder with all roasted spices & dhals and then store in a bottle. Whenever I do #araithuvittaSambar I grind the powder & coconut in a blender to make flavorful araithuvitta sambar paste.
Here I would like to give the proportions of spices and dhals [ lentils ] for this powder.

Ingredients :
7 or 8	Red chilly
1/2 Cup	Coriander seeds
1/2 Cup	Gram Dhal [Channa Dhal]
1/4 Cup	Black Gram Dhal [Urad Dhal]
1 Tsp	Black Pepper
2 Tsp	Cumin Seeds
1 Tsp	Curry Leaf Powder
1/4 Tsp	Fenugreek [ optional ]

Note : If curry leaf powder is not available then dry roast 1/2 handful of curry leaves.

Method :

Keep a clean and dry kadai on a stove over a slow flame.

First roast red chilly well until it becomes brittle.

Transfer into a plate.

Then add gram dhal to the kadai and keep stirring with a long ladle.

Roast it until dhal turns golden color.

Transfer on to the same plate with roasted chilly.

In the same way roast urad dhal and transfer on to the same plate.

Next roast coriander seeds.

Roast until it gives out nice aroma and slightly changes to darker in color.

Transfer on to the same plate.

Then roast pepper until it gives out smell.

Transfer on to the same plate.
If fenugreek has been taken dry roast until it turns golden color.
Transfer on to the same plate.

Finally roast cumin until it gives out nice aroma.

Transfer on to the same plate.

Let all roasted items cool down to room temperature.

Then grind them all together or in batches into a smooth powder using a mixer grinder.

Mix well and bring down to room temperature.

Store in a clean and dry bottle or a container with lid.

Store at room temperature for a month or so. Use a clean and dry spoon to take out the powder.

As the time passes the powder tends to lose some of its aroma. So it is advisable to make small quantities of araithuvitta kuzhambu powder to prepare a flavorful sambar or kuzhambu!!

#AraithuvittaKuzhambuPowder is used in the preparation of #VenthayaKuzhambu and #MilaguKuzhambu.

This powder can also be used in the preparation of Tamarind Rice [Puliyodharai] and Vangi Bath.

For other masala powders

Masala Powders




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Vazhaipoo milagu kuzhambu

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Manathakkali Vathakuzhambu

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Pumpkin Morekuzhambu