KAI MURUKKU

"Kai Murukku" is a South Indian snack and is said to have originated from Tamilnadu. It is a crisp and tasty savoury prepared and consumed on any day and  finding a compuslsory role in all important ocassions like Weddings,House warming ceremonies or a Baby shower. It is prepared with utmost care using the best quality rice, dhal and spices mixed in the right proportion. The usual Murukkus are prepared using a mould or a press. But the speciality of this Murukku is that it is handmade. One requires patience, perseverance and expertise to master this art of twisting the pliable dough into coils. Truly it takes time to get a hand on this art.KM s are usually coiled into two or three layers but special ocassions demand them to be bigger in size with layers numbering from 5, 7, 9 and  11 and known as "Seer Murukkus".It is popularly known as Sakkiram, Chakali, Chakri,  Murukkulu or Jaantikalu in other states.

All of us at home  love Kai Murukkus. My dad s Chithi, Rajalakshmi Paati , is an expert in preparing KMs. I have seen her do this upmteen number of times at home and also during my Aunt's and cousins weddings. I watch her with awe when she coils the murukkus in no time. She is with us right now in Coimbatore and the day she arrived she announced that she would teach and train me. I have not been posting anything in my personal space for quite sometime after my arrival in India. The reason being power cuts and as a result not being connected to the net. I ve somehow managed to click few pictures during the activity and here it is for you. I have not carried my camera along and so had to compromise on the picture quality.

Preparation  and Cooking time : 2 hrs                       Serves : 50 Murukkus roughly

Ingredients:   

Raw rice.....................................1 Kg

Whole Urad Dgal........................ 4 tbsp

Parboiled rice............................. 2 tbsp

Roasted Bengalgram .................. 1 tbsp ( optional)

White Sesame seeds.................... 2 tbsp

Cumin seeds................................ 2 tbsp

Butter .......................................... 150 to 200gms

Compounded Asafoetida.............. To taste ( Soak in water an hour prior)

Salt ............................................. To taste
Oil................................................ To fry ( Coconut Oil/ Refined Oil/ Ghee)

Method:

• Soak the Raw rice for say half an hour and drain it. Then spread it in a clean white cloth or a towel for a while and powder it in a mixer before the moisture leaves completely .

• Roast the Urad Dhal and parboiled rice till flavour arises and powder it along with the roasted gram dhal. Mix all the above with the raw rice flour and seive it. To this add Cumin seeds, Sesame seeds, Asafoetida, Butter and salt and then  add water slowly and knead it into a pliable dough. 

• Spread a clean white towel.  Rub coconut oil in your palms.Pull out a small quantity of dough in your hand and roll it so that it is slender enough to be held  in between the thumb, index and middle finger. Gently press down the corner of the dough on the towel and start coiling/ twisting gently without stop into two to three layers. You can also coil it around a bottle cap or a small measuring cup to get the perfect circle in the middle.

• Twisting the Murukkus is an interesting activity as it usually involves a two to three member team or more depending on the quantity of dough. 

• Repeat the same procedure until all the dough is finished. Heat oil in a thick kadai. Ensure that the flame is always kept in medium. Never keep it high as it turns the KM red nor simmered as it comes out undercooked. Choice of the cooking medium is purely based on how you and your family likes. We use either Coconut or Refined oil. When we use refined oil for frying we always grease our palms with coconut oil during the twisting process which enhances the flavour. 
• Once the oil is hot enough lift the  Murukkus gently with a spatula and add two to three at a time and fry. Flip and turn over to ensure even frying. Stop cooking when the oil stops sizzling and till it turns golden. If you want a  warmer tint then fry it a minute longer. Drain the lot in paper towels. You can use a traditional spatula or a metal skewer to drain the Murukkus. 

• It takes roughly around 45 minutes to fry 50 Murukkus. Once done, cool it and store in an airtight container. It stays good even for ten days. But i am sure the entire lot will be finished in no time........ :)

Notes

• 150 gms of butter is sufficient to get crisp KMs. If you like it a bit crumbly then you can increase it to 200gms.
• You can skip the roasting procedure and directly knead the dough with the raw rice flour and other ingredients and follow the above. 
• Always use a good quality plastic container to store anything crispy. Metal containers make your snack soggy very soon.