Besan Murukku - AFF Indian Subcontinent May 2014

After making the Thenkuzhal Murukku, I decided to try another variation. When I was at Mustafa Centre, I saw rows and rows of different Murukku snacks and also premix Murukku powder available. The Murukku is very popular indeed, and I learnt that it is a traditional must-have savoury snack for festivals such as Diwali.

I guess so far I only know about and tried the very crispy version, Thenkuzhal Murukku also known as Mullu Murukku made using mainly rice flour with some Ural Dal (lentil) flour. There are other versions like Besan Murukku, Butter Murukku, Kai Murukku, Coconut Milk Murukku etc.

Decided to give Besan Murukku a try.

Besan Murukku is made using chickpea flour with oil, tumeric powder, fresh peppercorn powder, carom seeds, cumin seeds, baking soda, salt and water. I couldn't find carom seeds at the supermarket (forgot to buy when I was at Mustafa Centre) so omitted it. Added sesame seeds instead. Also used red chilli powder instead of peppercorn powder.

Basically mix everything together into a dough then squeeze the dough using the Murukku press and deep fry. This time, I used the single star shape disc which was much harder to squeeze. By the end of it, my palms were aching! The Besan Murukku was also harder to fry; had to fry at low heat because it browned very quickly and the insides still soft and not very crispy.

Besan Murukku
(recipe from Indian Khana)

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Besan/Chickpeas flour (about 140g)
• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp Red chilli powder
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp Sesame seeds
• 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
• Pinch Baking soda
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 10 - 12 tbsp Water (or more as needed)
• Vegetable oil for deep frying

Steps

1. Add all the ingredients (except water) in a large mixing bowl. Use a whisk or spatula and mix well.
2. Add water 1 tbsp at a time and fold the ingredients until they come together into a dough.
3. Knead for a few minutes till soft.
4. Heat oil in a pot on medium low heat. When ready to fry, turn to low heat.
5. Fill dough into the murukku press and squeeze dough onto back of a ladle using the star disc.
6. Fry in low heat until golden brown or when bubbling around the murukku stops.
7. Drain on kitchen towel. Once murukku cools down, store in airtight container.

Didn't like the Besan Murukku as much as the Thenkuzhal Murukku. Perhaps I didn't knead the dough well enough or didn't fry the Murukku sufficiently (the dough was quite thick), some of the pieces were a little soft inside. It's also not as flavourful and fragrant :(

Nevertheless a good exercise. Will see if I can find another recipe to try, or probably move on to attempt the Medhu Vadai which I'm keen to try as well.

I am submitting this to Asian Food Fest Indian Subcontinent Month, 

hosted by Alvin of Chef and Sommelier