My first tryst with murukku happened in school. While we had a diverse composition in our class yet South Indians were not large in number. During recess, I was strolling with my friend in the play ground, making stops to meet familiar people we found on the way. Once we stopped by a group of our batch mates to hear an interesting story when I noticed this one guy munching on something. Intrigued by the shape of it, I kept wondering what he was having. Unable to control my curiosity, I popped the questioned, “What is that quirky-looking thing you’re eating?” to which he just gave a smirk and left.
Later in the day, I went up to him and asked him what it was. He quickly got up from his chair, took out his tiffin box and offered me some. I grabbed a few and while I was trying to assess the taste he said it’s murukku. It sounded a little funny to me at first but I refrained from it. The interesting bit is that I liked it so much that I used to ask him to get a packet for me every time he came back from his home town from then on.
The deep-fried murukku is a quintessential South Indian snack, originating in Tamil Nadu. Given its shape, the snack got its name murukku which means to twist in Tamil. The concentric circles are slightly twisted which gives it a unique appearance. Made from rice flour and urad dal, these crunchy bites are considered to be not just routine snacks but special festive treats too. For instance, during Diwali celebration, most South Indian households smell of freshly prepared murukkus. The dough is kneaded and rolled to give shape to murukku, which has evolved over the years.
You no longer find this Tamil snack in just spirals but as sticks, ribbons or puffed pillows too. In fact, the combination of the batter for making this delectable snack is the same with slight regional variations. Usually seasoned with salt and spices, at times, you might find certain flavours like that of sesame seeds or vegetable paste.
From Tamil Nadu, the unusually-shaped savoury travelled to several other South Indian states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala as well as northern regions like Gujarat and Maharashtra. Legend has it that the deep-fried murukku is not a cakewalk. Along with the right skill set and sufficient practice, it also needs you to be in the right mood. It is believed that the colour of the murukku reflects the mood of the maker. For instance, if the murukku maker is in a bad mood then the snack would turn out dark in colour with a hard texture.
While the taste of murukku owes itself to its popularity yet another reason for the love and acceptance it has received as a tea-time snack in several Indian households is because of its nutritional value. The ingredients used in the making of murukku are rich in carbohydrates and calcium along with being a good source of Vitamin C too. Homemade snacks have been a tradition in India and murukku is just one example.
The variations of murukku can be seen in different parts of South India, wherein Kerala is known for its rose-shaped cookie-like murukkus. Known as achu murukku, this sweet snack bears resemblance to a kind of flower. While the achappam is well-known in Kerala’s cuisine, Tamil Nadu, which is the considered to be the birthplace of this snack, boasts of a dark golden Manapparai murukku which makes use of roasted cumin seeds and adds the spiciness to the crispy fried snack. This one is special because it is named after a town in Tamil Nadu and is loved to the extent that a GI tag was requested for the same to accord the town with the honour.
Another spicy variation of murukku is Thenukuzhal which has hints of white sesame seeds and is thinner than the Tamil murukkus. On one hand, we’ve got murukku makers today which have made lives easier to get the perfect shape but on the other hand, the kai murrukku is still made with hands by rolling into a large coil.
There is a close cousin of murukku which is popular in states like Maharashtra and Karnataka. There, it is referred to as chakli or chakuli and the only difference lies in the use of chickpea in making the snack as well as the steel apparatus that is involved in the process of coiling it. So the Kannada version has a buttery taste to it and is called Benne murukku where benne means butter in the local language.
Not just regional variations, there are flavour distinctions too today like you’ve got the coconut murukku or ragi murukku. From besan to onion and potatoes, the range of ingredients that have been used in making this largely savoury snack is quite impressive.