Murukku or Chakli is a crunchy, highly addictive, savory Indian snack made with five ingredients. It is traditionally prepared during festivals like Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali, and Navratri and is frequently served at home as a tea-time snack.
About Murukku (Chakli)
This post is all about crispy, crunchy, rich butter murukku or butter chakli. Murukku is a crunchy and savory Indian snack recipe that people like to eat with a cup of coffee or tea. Kids like to munch on it as they do their homework or watch television.
Chakli or Muruku is popularly prepared at home in India during festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi and Janmashtami and offered as naivedyam. It is also served as a savory snack for Sankranti, Diwali, and Vijaya Dashami.
The name murukku is derived from the Tamil word for its shape, which means twisted. Murukku is called murkulu or janthukulu or chakralu in Andhra Pradesh, chakkuli or chakali in Karnataka, Dantkali in Odisha, chakali in Marathi, Chakri in Gujarat, and we call it chakkuli in Konkani.
Check out more Indian snacks and traditional Diwali snacks.
Is murukku same as chakli?
Murukku and chakli are prepared using the same basic ingredients. Chakli is generally round in shape, and some add chickpea flour (Bengal gram flour or besan) while preparing these. On the other hand, murukku comes in different shapes and uses only rice flour and urad dal as the main ingredients.
Ingredients
Rice flour: Available easily in any Indian store. Use fresh and good-quality flour for the best result.
Urad dal: Whole or split. Adds a good aroma to your chakli.
Butter: Makes it rich and melts in the mouth. For a vegan version,oil can be used.
Other ingredients: Salt and sesame seeds.
Check out the recipe card for the full list of the ingredients.
Making crispy murukku at home
Making of dough
- In a pan, dry roast urad dal on medium flame until golden and aromatic. Let this cool completely. Transfer this to a mixie jar or blender and blend it to smooth powder.
- In a large bowl, add rice flour, urad dal powder, salt, and sesame seeds and mix. Now add the butter and nicely rub it with the flour so that the butter is incorporated well with the flour.
- Add water little by little to form a firm, crack-free dough. The dough should be non-sticky, and at the same time, it should not be dry.
Shaping and frying
- Grease the murukku mold and the star-shaped plate with oil.
- Heat oil in a pan on a medium flame for frying.
- Fill the chakli mold with the dough and gently press to form a spiral shape chakli of the desired size on parchment paper (you can also use a muslin cloth or butter paper).
- Check if the oil is hot. Drop a piece of dough; it should sizzle and come up slowly.
- Lift the parchment paper, gently remove the chakli or murukku and slide it in hot oil, 4 to 5 chakkulis at a time, depending on the size of the pan.
- Flip them after 30 seconds. Continue to flip every once in a while and cook till it becomes golden and crisp evenly.
- Transfer it to a paper towel to absorb any excess oil.
- Once it cools down completely, store it in an airtight container. Use it as and when required. If stored in an airtight container, it will remain fresh for 30 days.
Pro Tips
Making of chakli or murukku dough
- The best quality rice flour plays a vital role in making murukku. The amount of water required to knead the dough and its texture depends on the quality of the flour. The flavor of the murukku also depends on the freshness of the rice flour.
- While making the dough, do not add all the water at once. Add water little by little. First, add water in 3 to 4 tablespoon increments and mix the dry ingredients. Once it comes together, add water in one-tablespoon increments and continue to mix and knead until the dough is formed.
- The dough should not be sticky and, at the same time, not dry or crumbly. A sticky dough will absorb too much oil, and a dry dough will not let you shape chaklis. If you have added more water and it becomes sticky, then add extra flour. If it becomes too dry, then add water and adjust accordingly.
- Once the dough is formed, do not rest it. Use it immediately. The more you rest, the oiler will be the murukkus upon frying.
Shaping chakli or murukku
I highly recommend using parchment paper to shape the chakkulis as it is easy to remove and drop the shaped chaklis in oil.
Frying Chaklis or murukku
I always fry on medium heat. Frying on medium heat will keep the murukku crispy for a long time. If you fry it on a low flame, it will absorb oil; if you fry it on a high flame, it gets brown faster and remains soft.
Recipe FAQs
Murukku or Chakli becomes hard if the fat content you add becomes less. Add one tablespoon of fat (butter or oil), knead the dough, form the chaklis, and fry again. Also, if you skip adding urad dal, your chaklis or murukku will become hard.
Your murukku may not be crispy and have turned soft because you have fried them on high heat and is therefore undercooked. Decrease the heat to medium and fry the chakkulis again.
Yes, you can use oil instead of butter while preparing chakli dough. I love butter murukku and its flavor, so I prefer to add butter. Butter also makes your murukkus or chaklis crisp, lighter, and melt in your mouth. But if you are looking for a vegan version of these murukkus, use oil instead of butter, and it will still taste good.
Instead of star-shaped plates, use the sev plate or jantikalu plate and press to form concentric circles directly in hot oil. Frying is the same as that of murukku.
You can use a piping bag or plastic bag to make them. If you have a star nozzle that you use for frosting cakes and cupcakes, you can use the same to pipe chakkulis.
More similar Indian snacks
Recipe card
Murukku | Chakli | Indian Snack Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Chakli Press or Murukku Maker
- 1 Pan for frying
Ingredients
- 1 cup Rice flour
- ¼ cup Urad dal
- ½ teaspoon Salt, adjust as needed
- 1 teaspoon Sesame seeds or Til
- 2 tablespoon Butter, softened oil for vegan version.
- Water, as needed
- Oil for frying.
Instructions
Making of chakli or murukku dough
- In a pan, dry roast urad dal on medium flame until golden and aromatic. Let this cool completely. Transfer this to a mixie jar or blender and blend it to smooth powder.¼ cup Urad dal
- In a large bowl, add rice flour, urad dal powder, salt, and sesame seeds and mix. Now add the butter and nicely rub it with the flour so that the butter is incorporated well with the flour.1 cup Rice flour, ½ teaspoon Salt, adjust as needed, 1 teaspoon Sesame seeds or Til, 2 tablespoon Butter, softened
- Add water little by little to form a firm, crack-free dough. The dough should be non-sticky, and at the same time, it should not be dry.Water, as needed
Shaping and frying
- Grease the murukku mold and the star-shaped plate with oil.
- Heat oil in a pan on a medium flame for frying.Oil for frying.
- Fill the chakli mold with the dough and gently press to form a spiral shape chakli of the desired size on parchment paper (you can also use a muslin cloth or butter paper).
- Check if the oil is hot. Drop a piece of dough; it should sizzle and come up slowly.
- Lift the parchment paper, gently remove the chakli or murukku and slide it in hot oil, 4 to 5 chakkulis at a time, depending on the size of the pan.
- Flip them after 30 seconds. Continue to flip every once in a while and cook till it becomes golden and crisp evenly.
- Transfer it to a paper towel to absorb any excess oil.
- Once it cools down completely, store it in an airtight container. Use as and when required.
Video
Notes
- The best quality rice flour plays a vital role in making murukku. The amount of water required to knead the dough and its texture depends on the quality of the flour. The flavor of the murukku also depends on the freshness of the rice flour.
- While making the dough, do not add all the water at once. Add water little by little. First, add water in 3 to 4 tablespoon increments and mix the dry ingredients. Once it comes together, add water in one-tablespoon increments and continue to mix and knead until the dough is formed.
- The dough should not be sticky and, at the same time, not dry or crumbly. A sticky dough will absorb too much oil, and a dry dough will not let you shape chaklis. If you have added more water and it becomes sticky, then add extra flour. If it becomes too dry, then add water and adjust accordingly.
- Once the dough is formed, do not rest it. Use it immediately. The more you rest, the oiler will be the murukkus upon frying.
- I highly recommend using parchment paper to shape the chakkulis as it is easy to remove and drop the shaped chaklis in oil.
Nutrition
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Note: We originally posted this chakli or murukku recipe in Sept 2022. It has now been modified in Sep 2024 with Expert Chef Tips, FAQs, Storage Instructions, etc.
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