Mullu Murukku

Source:

Mrs. Saraswathi Raj

Ingredients:

Roasted Rice Flour/Idiyappam Flour - 4 cups

Gram Flour - 2 cups

Roasted gram (pottukadalai) flour - 1/2 cup

Moong Dhal (payaru paruppu) flour - 1/2 cup

Salt - 2 to 3 tsp

Red Chilli Powder - 3 to 4 tsp

Asafoetida Powder - 1/4 tsp

Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

Omam - 1 tsp (optional)

Butter - Lemon sized ball

Water - As needed

Oil - To deep fry


Procedure: 

1.  Mix all the flours together well.

2.  Add salt, red chilli powder, asafoetida, cumin seeds (jeeragam) and/or omam.  Mix well together so that all the ingredients are uniformly mixed all over.  Adjust salt and chilli powder according to your taste.

3.   Add butter to this mixed powder mixture and mix well with your fingertips all throughout so that a crumbly texture is formed uniformly.   You can around 50 to 60 gm of butter for this quantity.  Adding too much of butter will distort the consistency of the murukku, so beware.  Alternatively, you can heat up 1/2 cup of oil and add to the flour mix instead of butter (if you do not have butter or do not want to use it) and mix it up uniformly.

4.  Divide this flour mixture into 3 to 4 parts and keep aside.

5.  Take one part of the powder mixture and add water as needed by sprinkling little by little at a time to make a soft dough.  Make into medium sized balls for easy handling.

6.  Heat oil in a medium sized deep frying pan.  Drop a small ball of the dough to check if the oil is hot enough to fry the murukkus.  If the dough rises to the top immediately with a sizzle, the oil is ready for frying.

7.  Use your murukku mould fit with the star nozzle and greased with little oil on the inside.  Fill with 2-3 balls of the dough until 3/4th full and press the mould directly on hot oil (simmer the flame) spreading all over the kadai.  Deep fry till golden brown in color and the sizzling sound stops.  (Do not over fry, else it will get burnt.)  Repeat the same for the rest of the portions of the mixture.

8.  Drain in a tissue paper.

9.  Cool and store in an airtight container.

This recipe is one my mother-in-law taught us and her murukkus are so crispy and oil-free on touch.  She is a versatile cook and follows the traditional recipes that are tasty and healthy too.

Notes:

To make roasted Rice Flour - Wash and soak raw rice in water for about 1 hour.  Strain water and spread in on a cloth and allow to dry.  Do not allow to dry completely.  When it is half dry, machine it to a fine flour.  This step can be made at home by powdering the semi-dry rice in a mixer grinder and sifting it.  When the flour is still wet, roast the rice flour little at a time (say about a cup or 2) until the moisture is completely removed and the flour is dry.  Try drawing lines with this flour.  If you could draw the lines without a break, the roasted rice flour is ready.

Roasted Gram (Pottukadalai) Flour -  Powder the necessary quantity of roasted gram in a mixer grinder and sieve.  You can sun dry or roast for a while in a kadai to make the pottukadalai crispier and making powdering easier.

Moong Dhal (Payaru paruppu) Flour - Dry fry the moong dhal in a kadai till it slightly changes color.  Cool and powder in a mixer grinder.  Then sieve and use.

Bread Dosa/Oothappam (Instant Dosa Recipe)

Source:

Adapted from Cook with Smile 

Ingredients:

Bread - 4 to 6 slices

Rava - 1/2 cup

Rice Flour - 3/4 cup

Thick sour curd - 3/4 cup

Green Chilli - 1

Rock Salt - 1 tsp

Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

Chopped Coriander Leaves - 1 tbsp

Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp (tempered in oil)

Onions - 2, chopped

Carrot - 1, grated (optional)

Pepper Powder - 1 tsp

Table (Powdered) Salt - 1/2 tsp

Method:

1.  Soak the bread slices in just enough water for 2 to 3 minutes.  I did this process directly in the big jar of my mixie.

2.  When the water is absorbed, add rava, rice flour, chilli, curd, rock salt, cumin seeds to the soaked bread in the mixie and grind to a smooth batter adding enough water to grind.  Do not add too much water.  It should be of an oothappam batter consistency.

3.  Transfer it to a large bowl and check for consistency.  Add water if necessary to get pouring consistency.

4.  Add the chopped coriander leaves and tempered mustard seeds to the dosa/oothappam batter and mix.

5.  In a plate, mix the finely chopped onions and grated carrots and keep aside.

6.  In a bowl, mix pepper powder and table salt to make a seasoning powder and keep aside. 

7.  Heat a tawa.  Pour a ladle of batter in the center and spread it in circular motion with the ladle to make it an oothappam.  Immediately, sprinkle about half a handful of chopped onions and grated carrot mix all over the spread batter and top it with the seasoning powder (pepper and salt mix).  Press lightly the topping so that it sticks to the dosa/oothappam.  Drizzle a few drops of oil around the dosa/oothappam.  Cover with a lid and cook on medium flame for 1 to 2 minutes.  Flip over and allow to cook for a minute.

Serve hot with a chutney of your choice, sambhar, chutney powder (idli podi), or a pickle.

My Notes:

The quantities mentioned in this recipe make 8 to 10 dosas.

To make thin plain dosas, add more water to the batter to make it of a pouring consistency and make thin and crispy dosas by spreading enough on the tava.

A variation to the thin plain bread dosa is to add sauted onions and curry leaves and mixing it with the batter to make it onion bread dosa.

Toppings can be any of your choice, viz., corn, tomatoes, mixed veggies, capsicum, etc. etc.  but make sure the toppings are added before the oothappam gets cooked.

Any bread - white, brown, multigrain, buns, etc. fresh or old can be used.

Generally, I do not remove the brown edges of the bread slices to make these dosas.  It is optional for you to remove them.

Any seasonings or flavorings (eg. pepper powder) can be used of your choice.  Even idli powder can be sprinkled on top of the dosa batter.  If using that, omit additional salt.