Thenkuzhal / Diwali Murukku

Another easy, yummy and crunchy murukku to try this Diwali, Thenkuzhal / Diwali Murukku. Yes, we call it as Diwali murukku since this murukku is must and it Mom and Grandma makes it mainly during this festival only. Both my Ma used to make this murukku with freshly ground rice and dal flour but here i used all store bought and its easy and quick to make all authentic recipes with store bought n handy powders. Though the freshness and flavor was not much like the homemade still it tasted crunchy and flavorful :)

Ingredients

1. Rice Flour      4 cups
2. Urad dal flour          1 cup
3. Dalia Powder/ Pottu kadalai Maavu    1/4 cup
4. Butter or hot oil       4 tbsp
5. Chili Powder         1/4 or 1/2 tsp
6. Ajwain seeds/Omam       1 tsp
7. Sesame seeds            1 tbsp
8. Salt        to taste
9. Oil        for deep frying

Method

• First dry roast urad flour in a pan for 1-2 minutes then remove from the stove and sift the flour and keep ready.
• Melt butter in a microwave safe bowl and keep ready.

• Take a wide bowl, add sifted rice flour, urad flour, dalia powder , salt, ajwain seeds, sesame seeds and mix everything well.
• After that add melted butter and combine with the flour well and then add enough water and knead it to a soft, pliable and non sticky dough.

• Once done, divide the dough into 10-12 equal parts to fill in the murukku press.
• Grease murukku press/achu with oil and fill with one part of dough and close it tightly. For Thenkuzhal use 3 round plain achu/plate.(ref pic).
• Heat oil in a kadai, while its getting hot, 

• take 2 or 3 ladle turn back side n squeeze roughly in circular motion( i directly squeezed the murukku in hot oil like ribbon pakoda or omapodi), when oil gets hot drop the shaped murukku and fry in medium hot oil till it turns light golden color and also the hissing sound n bubbling stops.
• Then remove it from oil and drain it in paper towel.
• That's it...Diwali Murukku ready. 
• After cooling store it in air tight container.

Notes:
Fry Murukku in hot oil, if oil doesn't get hot n u drop the murukku turns too crunchy n hard.
So leave 1 minute time after frying each batch so that oil get enough hot.
Do not fry in oil for long time that will also makes the murukku bit hard.
adding ajwain seeds will gives nice taste n flavor to the murukku, so don't omit that...if u really don't like substitute with cumin seeds.
If u used black sesame seeds, murukku looks even more beautiful with black dots here n there :)
The color of Thenzkual murukku will be lighter than the other murukku becoz of urad dal flour n pottu kadalai maavu, the color above shown in the pic is the right and if u cook till dark golden brown then ur murukku will be hard crunchy.
Instead of gram dal powder/pottu kadalai maavu u can also use kadalai maavu/gram flour that willgive u nice golden brown color.