Mixture / மிக் ஷர்

Mixture 

 மிக் ஷர்

Ingredients:

Basically for mixture, rice flour, besan flour, chili powder are needed. 

The proportion varies for each of the components that goes into the mixture. 

Besan flour ( கடலை மவு)

Rice flour ( அரிசி மாவு)

Fried split channa dhal ( பொட்டுக்கடலை மாவு)

Maida/ Plain flour , and powdered sugar ( for biscuits) ( மைதா, வெண்ணெய், பொடித்த சர்க்கரை - பிஸ்கட் செய்ய ) 

Butter ( வெண்ணெய் )

Turmeric powder ( மஞ்சள் தூள்)

Chili powder ( மிளகாய் தூள்) 

Asafoetida ( பெருங்காயம்)

Salt to taste ( தேவையான அளவு உப்பு) 

Flat thick puffed rice ( கெட்டி அவல் )

Fried split channa dhal ( பொட்டுக்கடலை )

Groundnuts ( நிலக்கடலை )

Cashewnuts ( முந்திரிப் பருப்பு)

Curry leaves ( கறிவேப்பிலை) 

Oil for deep frying ( பொரிப்பதற்கு எண்ணெய்) 

1) Murukku

Mix rice flour and fried channa dhal powder (potukadalai) in the ratio of 3:1
Make a smooth dough after adding half of the required salt. Heat a tablespoon of oil and pour the hot oil over the dough and knead well. The hot oil will give a crispness to the murukku. 

Heat oil, once the oil is hot enough, an important step is to turn the flame to medium as this will give uniform frying of the murukku. Also, the colour is retained and the murukku is crisp. 

As the bubble ceases you will hear the crispness while turning the murukku.
Now is the time to remove.

Remove from oil using a drainer mesh.
which is better than the  normal drainer with holes 

Drain on to a kitchen towel.

Once cool, break into bite-size and keep aside.

2) Ribbon pakoda

Mix rice flour and besan flour in the ratio of 3:1. Make a dough after adding 1/2tsp chili powder and salt. Finally, add a tablespoon of hot oil and knead well.           

Fill the murukku press with the flat hole disc at the bottom that is appropriate for the ribbon shape.

Press directly over hot oil. Fry on medium flame turning frequently for uniform frying. 

Remove and drain on kitchen towel.

Break into bite-size and keep aside.

3)Omapodi

For omapodi that goes in the mixture, omam(ajwain) is not added. Besan flour is mixed with half a spoon of chili powder and salt. Knead well after adding a tablespoon of hot oil. 

Fry on a medium flame using the press' disc with small holes in it. Drain and keep aside.

4) Kara boondhi

For 1 cup of besan flour use one cup of water or slightly more. Add a pinch of chili powder and salt. Make a smooth thin batter without lumps. Use a whisk if you need it. Hold a dry perforated ladle just above the hot oil. As usual turn down the flame. With a ladle that can hold some substantial amount of batter, pour over the perforated ladle, spread the batter in the same direction and same speed. It has to be done quickly. 

Turn the boondhi and fry uniformly. 

Remove and drain. Continue with the rest of the batter.

In the picture above, the one on the left side is round fluffy and crisp boondhi and other one is flat. The reason being the oil was not hot enough. Second reason is shown below. Remove the batter completely before you move to the next batch to fry. 

If the batter is left behind, as you pour and spread the next batch, the droplets fallen will not be round due to the clog. 

Wipe away the batter and clean the ladle. 

                                If the boondhis have tail then the batter is thick, adjust with a spoon or two of water. Test by frying a few boondhis.
If the boondhis are flat then the batter is thin. Add a teaspoon of flour, test again by frying.
Adjust the consistency of your batter, over practice you will attain perfect boondhis.
Also, the boondhis should cover the whole oil surface. If you do not get perfect round boondhis, it is ok. Professionals do that everyday or very frequently. So it does not matter if our boondhis are not in perfect shapes. But make sure the oil is hot enough and the boondhis are dropped quickly for crisp ones.
5) Puffed rice

Heat oil, turn to medium flame. Add a handful of puffed rice to a wire mesh basket and lower it into the hot oil. Turn lightly. Once they are fried, remove and drain.  This is done very quickly.

6) Plain Bisuits:

For one and a half cups of Plain flour add half a cup of powdered white sugar. 

Melt two tablespoons of butter and pour over the flour mixture.

Knead well

Roll a ball size of  dough. Flatten it. Cut into small diamond shapes.

Cut into small size pieces. Because as you fry it swells up due to the butter / fat in it. 

Fry, drain and keep aside. 

Once the main ingredients are fried. Fry peanuts, remove skin and break into halves and keep aside. Split the cashew nuts into halves and fry. Keep aside. Fry the fried split channa dhal and keep aside. Lastly, fry the curry leaves in hot oil using the wire mesh basket. ( the picture is not taken)

                  

The main components that go into the mixture.

Fried nuts - 
cashew, peanuts and fried channa dhal

All the components are fried and ready for mixing. In a dry plate mix a spoon of chili powder, 1 spoon of salt and half a spoon of asafoetida.

Mix all the fried ingredients and toss. Sprinkle the chili powder, salt mixture and toss again. Taste and adjust for salt and spiciness.

The mixture is ready to be stored and for anytime munching. 

Sharing is caring. Packed for Deepavali distribution to friends.

My Notes:

A popular and delicious south Indian mixture recipe is shared here. It is a favourite of all, even with friends of other races which I have found out through my non-Indian friends here in Singapore. There are a few types of mixtures but this takes the first place among all. 

Murukku can be prepared using the readymade murukku mix available in the market. For each of the ingredients change the oil to fry. Thick puffed rice is best suited rather than the thin variety. 

With so many components go into it, the preparation is a long, time-consuming process but worth the time. The homemade mixture is in no way compared with the shop-bought one. Cooked with love.  

One of the best mixture I have had tasted were at Sholavandan during Deepavalis. A chef is booked to make many delicacies at home for Deepavali. The best were wheat halwa and mixture. We, the kids, love to hover over the chef to watch the preparations. Amusement at that age or the passion for cooking at that age itself!

 Later in Chennai in mid 80'  a very famous sweet and snacks shop at Adyar brought back my childhood memories with their taste. 

After Marriage, during one Deepavali at Chennai, I had tried to make mixture with my Mother in law' help and got appreciation from my father right away that it brought back his home town memory. What else one requires for all the hours of effort taken.

After moving to Singapore,  My sons' love for homemade mixture drives me to make during Deepavali without default and occasionally at another time of the year. Not a perfect one always but definitely it will pass with good grades. 😀

Butter Murukku

Butter Murukku

பட்டர் முறுக்கு

Ingredients:

Rice flour ( அரிசி மாவு) - 4 cups

Urad dhal ( உளுந்தம் பருப்பு) - 1 cup

Butter ( வெண்ணெய்)  - 3 tbsp 

White Sesame seed ( வெள்ளை எள்) - 3tsp

Salt to taste ( தேவைக்கேற்ற உப்பு )

Oil for frying ( பொரிப்பதற்கு எண்ணெய்) 

Steps:

Wash and soak the urad dhal for 30 minutes. Boil in a pressure cooker with sufficient water. Mash and make it a smooth paste. If it could not be done with a flat ladle, run through the blender. 

From the top left corner, 1 cup urad dhal soaked in water, swells up.
Boiled and mashed to a fine paste without any lumps.

Melt butter on medium flame and pour over the mixture.  

Mix rice flour, mashed urad dhal paste, salt and sesame seeds. 

Mix well and make a smooth dough by adding little water at a time. 

Fill the dough in the murukku maker and press on to the hot oil directly.
Keep the flame in medium level. Turn carefully and let it cook on both sides uniformly. 

As the bubble ceases, remove from oil, drain on kitchen towel.
Once cool, store in an airtight container. Crispy, tasty butter murukku is ready for a crunchy bite at any time of the day. 

My Notes:

My husband's first preference in savouries is murukku. This Indian snack is irresistible for anyone that makes one reach out for the jar again and again. My younger sister shared this easy method last month. So I was thinking of making since I heard the easy way to prepare urad dhal. But just then only I had made murukku. 

It was in my mind to try the new recipe and when Hari Raya / Ramzan was approaching, I decided to prepare this and share with my friend Razeeda and my elder son' friend who celebrates his first Ramzan after marriage. 

So here you go, Gayathry, with the easy recipe. Try and let me know.

In the original murukku recipe, urad dhal has to be carefully roasted until aromatic without burning it brown. The intensity of flame has to be right and one has stir continuously. Neither under do nor overdo, you have to roast it to perfection. Then comes the step to make it a fine powder by grinding and sieving at least three times. So this sounded simple and easy. Soak, boil and mash. Rice flour is also readymade not made from whole rice. Simplified the process but no compromise on the taste. 

I can guarantee you that the murukku turns out very well. crispy, yummy and nice yellow colour. 

For the flavour, either sesame seeds or cumin seeds are used. 

Flax seeds snacks recipe / ஆளிவிதை சிற்றுண்டி

Flax seed snacks recipe.

 ஆளிவிதை சிற்றுண்டி 

Flaxseed nutty balls.

 Ingredients:

Flax seeds ( ஆளிவிதை)  - 1 cup

Almonds ( பாதாம் பருப்பு) - 1/2 cup
Cashew nuts or Pistachios ( முந்திரி அல்லது பிஸ்தா பருப்பு) - 1/2 cup
Raw Sugar( பழுப்பு சக்கரை) - 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder (ஏலக்காய் தூள்) - 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon powder( பட்டை தூள்) - 1/4 tsp(optional)
Ghee / Clarified butter ( நெய்) - 1/2 cup
Steps:

In a heavy bottom pan dry roast the flax seeds under medium flame.

In a mixer grinder coarse grind each of the raw nuts separately. Finely grind the roasted flax seeds and raw sugar. Transfer the powdered ingredients to a wide vessel. Add cardamom powder and cinnamon powder. Mix well. Heat ghee and pour the hot ghee over the mixed ingredients. Mix well. Take a small portion and roll and give a light pressure to form a firm ball. Once cool, store in an airtight container.

Flaxseed &Besan flour Omapodi

ஆளிவிதை ஓமப்பொடி

                                   
Ingredients:
Gram flour / Besan flour ( கடலை மாவு ) - 2 cups
Flaxseed flour ( ஆளிவிதை மாவு) - 1 cup
Rice flour ( அரிசி மாவு ) - 1/2 cup
Ajwain / Caraway seeds ( ஓமம்) - 1 tsp
Chili powder ( மிளகாய் தூள் ) - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder ( மஞ்சள் தூள்) - 1/6 tsp
Salt to taste ( தேவைக்கேற்ற உப்பு)

Dry roast Ajwain until aromatic.
Soak ajwain in hot water and grind as much as possible.

Mix all the dry ingredients. 

Pour ajwain extract leaving the sediments as it may clog in the press later.

Mix well with required ajwain water to form a dough.

Heat 2 tbsp of oil and pour the hot oil over the dough and knead well. cover.

In the Murukku press/maker, use the disc with tiny holes / omapodi disc. Press through this disc over hot oil. Turnover immediately and remove from oil once the bubble ceases. Drain on a paper towel. When cool, store in an airtight jar. 

My Notes:

Flaxseeds are not much preferred by my family. Highly loaded with nutrients, flaxseeds are advised to eat in moderation but that also could not be added to dishes for my family.

So I tried to infuse the seeds in these recipes. Covid-19, stay home snacks. 😆

With not much of a choice, my husband ate a few sweet balls. He agreed it is ok in taste. He needs sugar level at its maximum in sweets. The sugar amount can be adjusted based on personal preference. I had made 2 batches with different sugar levels added. 

My Younger son preferred the chia seeds balls I had done before to the flaxseeds. An equal portion of nuts was added so the nutty taste of flaxseed is mild. 

If your flaxseed tastes bitter, don't consume. Flaxseed has a lower shelf life even if refrigerated.  

For the omapodi, the original recipe calls for just the besan flour. But some add a small portion of rice flour. Also the thickness/ size of the disc holes can be small or medium. The dough will be sticky, adding hot oil will make it smooth and also the omapodi will be crispy. Omapodi is easy to press in the mold, fast to fry. 

My elder son commented that this omapodi did not taste like the original. The crispiness and the flavour was there, so no qualms, and was relished during snack time.