Chakkuli ~ Potato Murukku

Seeing kids play cricket in the blazing hot sun in our park reminds me of my childhood days.How carefree and fun-filled those days were..coming back home in between for a quick snack and lime juice and then back again in the sun to play.Amma used to make dabba full of mixture,chakkuli and banana chips which got over as soon as they were made since we kids were perennially hungry!


The first time I tried making Murukku,it was a big flop.I messed up with the dough and got brittle sticks in the name of murukku,couldn't blame the recipe since it was probably only me who got it wrong.I found a better option,blamed my murukku press instead,now who can argue with that!But I wanted to learn to make such pretty looking murukkus,I mean how tough can it be?


I called up amma and asked her for the simplest murukku recipe and tried it.I should say it came out great for a start.Now I am looking at some complicated recipes..oh when will I ever learn??


Simple Chakkuli/Murukku Recipe


Ingredients


Maida/All purpose flour - 1 cup
Potato - 1,medium
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Hing - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil for frying


Method


Pressure cook the potato till soft,mash well with a potato masher and make sure there are no lumps.
Steam the maida[tied in a muslin cloth]for 10 minutes,remove and mash well with a spoon and sift.
Mix together the maida,mashed potato,jeera,hing and salt to taste with your fingers till the mixture resembles bread crumbs.
Add water just enough to make a smooth dough[about 1/4 cup].
Keep aside for 10 minutes.
In a kadai add oil for frying the murukku.

For making the murukku - amma presses the murukku directly into the oil,something which sounds impossible for me.I take the easier route--


Grease a plate with a tsp of oil and start pressing the murukku in a concentric circle.You could also make them into finger-sized pieces if circle sounds difficult.Don't overdo the circling part though,2-3 rings should be fine because it helps in cooking evenly.


When the oil is smoking hot,simmer the flame to medium and using a spatula or a flat ladle drop the murukkus one by one into the hot oil.If you do not want to use more oil,use just enough for frying 2-3 murukkus at a time.

When the murukku starts browning,flip to the other side using a perforated ladle.Each batch should take 5-7 minutes.When both sides are evenly browned,transfer the fried murukkus to a tissue paper or a perforated vessel.Let it cool and then store in airtight containers.

Notes

• Make sure there are no lumps in the mashed potato as well as the steamed maida.
• Keep the dough covered at all times,take out only the required amount of dough.
• If the murukkus are not coming easily off the press,try adding a few drops of water and knead the dough again.

How did we like it -This murukku tastes quite different from the regular ones.Crispy and melt in the mouth with a faint taste of potatoes.Ajay said it almost tastes like Batate Happol,a papad with potatoes which his amma used to make.Since this recipe makes a small batch,it got over the day it was made.Try this if you are not confident of making a murukku,if I can do it,anybody can!!

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