Thenkuzhal Murukku Recipe
Thenkuzhal is a crispy murukku snack made with rice flour and roasted lentil flour. Thenkuzhal murukku is a common bakshanam / snack made during the Diwali festival. One of the easiest snack to make and enjoy not just during the festival time but any day.
Servings: 20 pieces
Calories: 132kcal
Equipment
- 1 Murukku Press
- 1 fry pan
- 1 slotted ladle
Ingredients
- 2 cups Rice flour Homemade or store bought
- ¼ cup Urad dal flour See instructions below to make at home
- 3 Tablespoon Butter softened
- 2 teaspoon Cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon Asafetida
- Salt to taste
- Oil to deep fry
Instructions
- Make the Urad dal flour (Ullutham Maavu) - Measure urad dal and dry roast it in a pan until it slightly starts to change color and becomes aromatic. Do not let it become too dark as it will change the color of the thenkuzhal as well.
- Once the lentil cools down to room temperature, grind it into a fine powder. Sieve the flour and then grind the coarse flour again. Use the fine sieved powder to make the thenkuzhal.
- Tip - During festival season, I make a large batch of flour and store it either in the pantry or in the freezer (if storing for longer period). This way I always have the flour ready.
- In a bowl, add the rice flour, lentil flour, softened butter, cumin seeds and salt. Mix well using your fingers to incorporate the butter in the flour.
- Now slowly add water and make a stiff dough. So not make the dough too soft as the thenkuzhal will absorb lot of oil when frying.
- If making a large batch of thenkuzhal, I would recommend making the dough in batches. The dough when left for long time will absorb oil when frying.
- I use a 3 hole acchu (mould) to make the thenkuzhal. My new murukku press did not have plain round 3 hole acchu. So I used my old brass murukku maker. Grease the inside of the murukku mould and the plate.
- Heat oil in a kadai. Test the oil by dropping a small piece of dough. If the dough rises up immediately, the oil is ready. Turn the heat to low-medium.
- Fill the murukku press with dough and squeeze into small circles. I press the thenkuzhal directly over the oil. If you are a beginner, I would recommend shaping the murukku over greased small plates and then frying it. (Refer to the video).
- In about 15 seconds, flip the thenkuzhal to the other side to cook. Once the bubble and noise ceases from the oil, remove the thenkuzhal. Note - We have to remove this thenkuzhal when still white in color. Do not let it change color too much.
- Drain the fried thenkuzhal on a paper towel lined tray. Once they cool down entirely, store it in a air tight container.
Video
Notes
Expert tips
- Grind and have all the flours ready before planning on bakshanam. This makes it easier on the day of cooking.
- Shape the thenkuzhal on a greased plates or back of ladle if you are new to making them. I squeeze my dough directly over the oil.
- Fry them in low to medium heat. If not the murukku will appear to be cooked on the outside but will be uncooked inside.
- Store the murukku or any snack only after completely cooling down to room temperature.
- Store them in air tight container to retain the crispiness.
Nutrition
Calories: 132kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 14mg | Potassium: 17mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.03g | Vitamin A: 55IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 0.4mg