Muṟukku () is a savoury, crunchy snack originating from the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

. In India, murukku is especially common in the states of

Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (; ) is a landlocked States and union territories of India, state in Central India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the List ...

Telangana Telangana is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated in the Southern India, south-central part of the Indian subcontinent on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ele ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

, and

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

. It is called ''murkulu'' in

, ''janthikalu'' in

and mudku/murku in

Chakli Chakli is a savoury snack from Maharashtra, India. It is a spiral-shaped snack with a spiked surface. Chakli is typically made from flours of rice flour, rice, Bengal gram (brown chickpea) and black gram (''urad daal''). It has several variatio ...

is a similar Indian dish, typically made with an additional ingredient,

chickpea The chickpea or chick pea (''Cicer arietinum'') is an annual plant, annual legume of the family (biology), family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae, cultivated for its edible seeds. Its different types are variously known as gram," Bengal gram, ga ...

flour. It is also common in countries with substantial Indian and Sri Lankan diaspora communities, including

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

, and

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

. Called ''sagalay gway'' (; ) in Burmese, it is a common snack and is used as a topping for a regional dish called Dawei Mont Di.

Etymology

The name ''muṟukku'' "twisting" refers to its shape. Other names of the dish include , , , or ''murukulu'' or ''jantikalu'', and .

Ingredients and preparation

Murukku is typically made from

rice flour Rice flour (also rice powder) is a form of flour made from finely milled rice. It is distinct from rice starch, which is usually produced by steeping rice in lye. Rice flour is a common substitute for wheat flour. It is also used as a thickening ...

and

urad dal The black gram or urad bean (''Vigna mungo'') is a bean grown in South Asia. Like its relative the mung bean, it has been reclassified from the genus ''Phaseolus'' to ''Vigna''. The product sold as black gram is usually the whole urad bean, wher ...

flour. The flours are mixed with water, salt,

chili powder Chili powder (also spelled chile, chilli, or, alternatively, powdered chili) is the dried, pulverized fruit of one or more varieties of chili pepper, sometimes with the addition of other spices (in which case it is also sometimes known as chili p ...

asafoetida Asafoetida (; also spelled asafetida) is the dried latex (Natural gum, gum oleoresin) exuded from the rhizome or tap root of several species of ''Ferula'', perennial herbs of the carrot family. It is produced in Iran, Afghanistan, Central As ...

and either

sesame Sesame (; ''Sesamum indicum'') is a plant in the genus '' Sesamum'', also called benne. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for ...

seeds or

cumin Cumin (, ; ; ''Cuminum cyminum'') is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native to the Irano-Turanian Region. Its seeds – each one contained within a fruit, which is dried – are used in the cuisines of many cultures in both whole ...

seeds. The mix is kneaded into a dough, which is shaped into spiral or coil shapes either by hand or extruded using a mould. The spirals are then deep-fried in vegetable oil.

Variants

The dish has many variations, resulting from the types and proportions of flours used. Mullu muṟukku "thorn muṟukku" has an uneven texture that gives it an extra crunch. The Kai murukku "hand murukku") is made by hand using a stiffer dough. Ribbon Pakoda muṟukku is another ribbon-shaped variety of the snack. Āṭṭaiyāmpaṭṭi kai muṟukku, a town in Tamil Nadu, is known for its unique variety of murukkus, known as Maṇappāṟai muṟukku. This gained popularity because of Krishnan Iyer, who prepared and sold this first in Maṇappāṟai. In 2010, the Tamil Nadu government applied for a

geographical indication A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin (e.g., a town or region). The use of a geographical indication, as an indication of the product's source, is inten ...

tag for Manapparai Murukku.

List of distinctive murukku varieties

* Kai murkku (''Hand-woven murkku'') * Manapparai murukku (Manapparai - the place of origin of this variety) * Mullu murukku or Magizhampoo murukku * Thenkuzhal murukku (''Skinny murukku'') * Oosi thenkuzhal murukku (''Needle murukku'') * Thengaaippaal murukku (''

Coconut milk Coconut milk is a plant milk extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of the milky-white liquid are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food ingred ...

murukku'' ) * Godhumai murukku (''

Wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...

murukku'') * Kaara murukku (''Spicy murukku'') * Poondu murukku (''

Garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...

murukku'') * Inji murukku (''

Ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...

murukku'') * Meen murukku (''Fish-thorn shaped murukku'') * Vattaurulai murukku (''Ring murukku'') * Vennai murukku (''

Butter Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of Churning (butter), churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 81% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread (food ...

murukku'') * Kadalai Murukku (''

Besan Besan or gram flour is a pulse (legume), pulse flour made from chana dal or chickpea flour (split Bengal gram) or brown/Chickpea#Desi chana, ''kaala chana'', a chickpea. It is a staple ingredient in the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent, inclu ...

murukku'') * Arisi murukku (''

Rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

murukku'') * Achhu murukku or Achchappam (''Sweet murukku'') * Karuppatti achchu murukku (''

Palm jaggery Jaggery is a traditional non-centrifugal cane sugar consumed in the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, North America, Central America, Brazil and Africa. It is a concentrated product of cane juice and often date or palm sap without separa ...

murukku'') * Pudhina Murukku (''Mint murukku'') * Ezhumichai murukku(''Lemon murukku'') * Kelvaragu or aarya murukku (''

Finger millet Finger millet (''Eleusine coracana'') is an Annual plant, annual herbaceous plant widely grown as a cereal crop in the arid and Semi-arid climate, semiarid areas in Africa and Asia. It is a tetraploid and Self-pollination, self-pollinating speci ...

murukku'') * Kambu murukku (''

Pearl millet Pearl millet (''Cenchrus americanus'', commonly known as the synonym ''Pennisetum glaucum'') is the most widely grown type of millet. It has been grown in Africa and the Indian subcontinent since prehistoric times. The center of diversity, and ...

murukku'') * Chola murukku (''

Sorghum ''Sorghum bicolor'', commonly called sorghum () and also known as great millet, broomcorn, guinea corn, durra, imphee, jowar, or milo, is a species in the Poaceae, grass genus ''Sorghum (genus), Sorghum'' cultivated for its grain. The grain i ...

murukku'') * Thinai murukku (''

Foxtail millet Foxtail millet, scientific name ''Setaria italica'' (synonym ''Panicum italicum'' L.), is an annual grass grown for human food. It is the second-most widely planted species of millet, and the most grown millet species in Asia. The oldest evidenc ...

murukku'') * Ulundhu murukku (''

Vigna mungo The black gram or urad bean (''Vigna mungo'') is a bean grown in South Asia. Like its relative the mung bean, it has been reclassified from the genus ''Phaseolus'' to '' Vigna''. The product sold as black gram is usually the whole urad bean, wh ...

murukku'') * Ellu murukku (''

Sesame Sesame (; ''Sesamum indicum'') is a plant in the genus '' Sesamum'', also called benne. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for ...

murukku'') * Varagarisi or varagu murukku ('' Kodo millet murukku'') * Thirunelveli manoharam * Urulaikkizhangu murkku (''Potato murukku'') * Nei murukku (''

Ghee Ghee is a type of clarified butter, originating from South Asia. It is commonly used for cooking, as a Traditional medicine of India, traditional medicine, and for Hinduism, Hindu religious rituals. Description Ghee is typically prepared by ...

murukku'') * Ravai murukku (''

Semolina Semolina is the name given to roughly milled durum wheat mainly used in making pasta and sweet puddings. The term ''semolina'' is also used to designate coarse millings of other varieties of wheat, and sometimes other grains (such as rice or ma ...

murukku'') * Pulungal arisi murukku (''

Parboiled rice Parboiled rice, also called converted rice, easy-cook rice, sella rice, and miniket (as predominantly called in West Bengal and Odisha in India, and in Bangladesh) is rice that has been parboiling, partially boiled in the husk. The three basic s ...

murukku'') * Vengaaya murukku (''

Onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' , from Latin ), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus '' Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion which was classifie ...

murukku'') * Milagu murukku (''

Black pepper Black pepper (''Piper nigrum'') is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit (the peppercorn), which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in diameter ...

murukku'') * Thakkaali murukku (''

Tomato The tomato (, ), ''Solanum lycopersicum'', is a plant whose fruit is an edible Berry (botany), berry that is eaten as a vegetable. The tomato is a member of the nightshade family that includes tobacco, potato, and chili peppers. It originate ...

murukku'') * Karuveppillai murukku ('' Curry leave murukku'') * Maida murukku (''

Maida Maida may refer to: People * Maida Abdallah (born 1970), Tanzanian politician * Maida Arslanagić (born 1984), Croatian handball player * Maida Bryant (1926–2016), New Zealand nurse, politician and community leader * Maida Coleman (born 1954 ...

murukku'') * Pulipu Murukku (Curd Murukku)

Gallery

File:Murukku1.jpg, Kai (hand-prepared) Murukkus File:KaiMurukku.JPG, A larger variety of Kai Murukku File:Muruuku.jpg, Murrukku and similar snacks File:Muruku-Home-AndhraPradesh-015.jpg, Sev Muruku

References

External links

* {{Doughnut Tamil cuisine Legume dishes Articles containing video clips Indian snack foods