Pottukadalai Murukku

Prep Time:20 m + soaking time     Cooking Time:1 hr

Ingredients

Raw Rice               - 4 cups

Roasted Gram Dal - 1 cup

Red Chilli              - 8

Butter                     - 1 tblsp

Ajwain                   - 1 tsp

Salt                        - to taste

Oil                         - to deep fry

Method

• Wash and soak rice along with red chillies for atleast two hours.Grind them smoothly into a thick batter.
     
• Meanwhile finely powder roasted gram dal/pottukadalai into a fine powder in a dry jar.
     
• Add this powder to the rice batter.Add salt,butter and ajwain also.If the spicyness is not enough just add little red chilli powder.Now knead them all together into a loose dough.
                           
  
• Heat oil in a kadai.Grease the murukku press with butter and fill with dough.Press it and check the consistency of the dough.It should be soft enough for pressing.Squeeze the murukkus directly into hot oil or press them into greased plastic sheets or ladles and then drop them carefully in hot oil.Fry them in hot oil turning gently and remove when the bubble sound ceases.
                       
                            
     
• When all the dough is finished transfer into an airtight container and this keeps well for atleast ten days and even more.

Little Words

• Let the dough be smooth without any particles.Once there was a roasted dal in the dough and it bursted out and splashed straight into my hands.
• If the dough is tight sprinkle few drops of water and knead well.
• If squeezing directly into hot oil take the necessary precautions.

Memories

       Though this murukku needs a little effort the joy of eating homemade murukkus is always special.And when the holidays were around there was nothing more joyous than the smell of murukkus and other sweets filling the air.