MurukkuTamil – முறுக்கு) is a savoury, crunchy snack originating from the Indian subcontinent. The name murukku derives from the Tamil word for "twisted", which refers to its shape.[1] In India, murukku is especially common in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala. It is called murkulu or janthukulu in Andhra Pradesh. It is also common in countries with substantial Indian and Sri Lankan diaspora communities, including Singapore, Fiji, Malaysia, and Myanmar (Burma). Murukku, called sagalay gway (စာကလေးခွေ; lit.'baby sparrow coils') in Burmese, is a common snack and is used as a topping for a regional dish called daweimont di.[2]
Other names of the dish include Kannada: ಚಕ್ಕುಲಿchakkuli, Odia : ଦାନ୍ତକଲି Dantakali, Tamil: முறுக்குmurukku, Marathi: चकलीchakali, Gujarati: ચકરીchakri, Telugu: చక్రాలుchakralu, or జంతికలు jantikalu and Konkani: chakri or chakkuli.
Murukku is typically made from rice flour and urad dal flour. Chakli is a similar dish, typically made with an additional ingredient, Bengal gram (chickpea) flour.
It is the origin of the Tamil saying Tamil: பல்லற்ற தாத்தாக்கு முறுக்கு வேண்டுமாம் ('toothless grandfather wants murukku'), meaning someone wants something they cannot use; murukku is very hard and can actually break teeth and orthodontic devices.
Ingredients and preparation
Murukku preparation
Murukku is typically made from rice and urad dal (lentil) flour.[3] The flours are mixed with water, salt, chilli powder, asafoetida and either sesame seeds or cumin 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.
Varieties
The dish has many variations, resulting from the types and proportions of flours used. Mullu Muruku has an uneven texture that gives it an extra crunch. 'Mullu' refers to thorns in Tamil and the snack derives its name from this. The Kai Murukku (literally, "hand murukku") is made by hand using a stiffer dough. Pakoda murukku is another ribbon-shaped variety of the snack.[4] Attayampatti Kai Murukku, a town in Tamil Nadu, is known for its unique variety of murukkus, known as Manapparai murukku. This Manapparai murukku gained popularity because of Mr. Krishnan Iyer, who prepared and sold this first in Manapparai.[5][6][7] In 2010, the Tamil Nadu government applied for a geographical indication tag for Manapparai Murukku.[8]
