MURUKKU VATHAL
Vathal or vadam is a South Indian delicacy, that is usually made in every South Indian home, during the month of April or May, and will be stored for years. It needs sunlight, for it to dry completely. Since, April and May are the summer seasons in South India, these months are chosen, to make these vathal.
Vathal can be made, either with vegetables, or rice flour. The vathal made with vegetables can be fried, and used in making vatha kulambu. Whereas, the vathal made with rice flour is usually fried, and can be had as a side dish with, any kind of rice.
There are different types of rice vathal. This is one among them. Murukku vathal is actually a rice vathal, that is made in the shape of murukku. It requires murukku maker to make this vathal.
ORIGINAL METHOD:
Vathal is usually, made in a big pot, and will at least take 1 – 2 hours to make . Also, this method will be difficult and tricky for someone, who is not used to making it. It has to be stirred continuously, and there are possibilities, for it to splatter on the person, while boiling.
Rice flour has to be cooked properly, or else the vathal might crack while drying. Checking, whether the rice flour has been cooked through, can be a little tricky, because it has to be done by touching the hot boiling vathal with bare hands.
ABOUT THE RECIPE:
We have been making this murukku vathal in our home for generations. We make more than 5 kinds of vathal in our home. This kind of vathal is not spicy and, is suitable for all age groups, especially for the kids.
We usually use the original method to make vathal. But now, for the past 3 years, we use a simple method(a short-cut method), using pressure cooker. This is a very safe and easy method and, anyone can make it. We tried this method, as a trial, 3 years back. Surprisingly, it worked. Since then, we shifted to this method. It saves a lot of time and energy, and is also much safer than the original method. It hardly takes 30 minutes to make.
INGREDIENTS FOR MURUKKU VATHAL:
- RICE FLOUR – 4 CUPS
- SABUDANA – 1 CUP (SOAK FOR 5 HOURS)
- GREEN CHILLY – 10 NOS
- CUMIN SEEDS – 2 TBSP
- ASAFOETIDA – 1 TSP
- ROCK SALT – AS REQUIRED
DESCRIPTION:
RICE FLOUR – We make rice flour from scratch. First wash and dry the rice, and once it’s dried, grind it into fine powder.
*Store bought rice flour can also be used.
SABUDANA(TAPIOCA PEARLS) – Sabudana is the main ingredient for vathal. It gives the fluffy and crisp texture to the vathal.
WATER – For 1 cup of rice flour, 1.5 cups of water has to be added. This amount of water gives the perfect consistency for murukku vathal.
CUMIN SEEDS – Cumin seeds helps in digestion, since it is a fried food.
GREEN CHILLIES – Green chillies is used to give the spiciness required for the dish.
ASAFOETIDA – Asafoetida is a flavouring agent, and is used commonly in every Indian cooking.
HOW TO MAKE MURUKKU VATHAL:
- Soak 1 cup of sabudana, in water for 5 hours. Water doesn’t have to be an exact measurement. Just make sure the sabudana is completely submerged in water.
- After 5 hours, add the sabudana along with water to a pressure cooker, close the lid, and cook it for 3 whistles.
* If there is not enough water in soaked sabudana, add 2 cups of water, while adding it to the pressure cooker.
- Meanwhile, mix 4 cups of rice flour, with 3 cups of water, and keep it aside. Make sure it doesn’t have any lumps.
- Also grind the green chillies, asafoetida and salt along with water, and keep it aside.
- Once the pressure is released, open the pressure cooker.
- In an other large pressure cooker( I have used 8 litre pressure cooker), add 3 cups of water.
- Let it come to boil.
- Once the water boils, add the cooked sabudana to the boiling water.
- Then add the green chilly mixture, and cumin seeds to the pressure cooker, and let it to boil.
- Before, it starts to boil, the vapour releases. Now turn the flame to medium-low.
- At that stage, add the rice flour slurry, to the pressure cooker. Mix it, using a ladle, with another hand, while you add the rice flour slurry, so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pressure cooker.
- Once, you add the rice flour slurry, turn the flame to medium-high. It will start to thicken in just 2 to 3 minutes.
- Once it thickens, as shown in the picture below, close the pressure cooker, and cook for 3 whistles. It takes maximum of 5 minutes to thicken.
*We usually make it at night, and open the pressure cooker, the next day morning, around 6.00 AM. Since, we make it in summer, it will be too hot after 9.00 AM. It will take at least 2 hours. We had to sit under the heat, to make the vathal. We usually start by 6.30 AM, so that we can finish it before 9.00 AM
- The next morning, open the pressure cooker. It would have thickened, even more.
- Give it a mix, and add a small amount of the mixture to the murukku maker.
- In a terrace or rooftop, spread a clean cotton cloth, or a plastic sheet. Then press the murukku maker to make murukku shaped vathal.
- Let it dry under the sun for 2 days. After 2 days, once the vathal is dried to 80%, sprinkle some water, on the backside of the cloth ( this helps to remove the vathal easily, from the cloth), and remove all the vathal.
- Place the vathal in a plate or tray, and let it dry under the sun for 2 more days, or until it turns hard and crisp. Store it in an airtight container. It can be stored at room temperature for more than 2 years.
- Heat 1 cup of oil in a wok, and add 1 or 2 vathal at a time and fry it. It will take just 5 seconds to fry.
YUMMY, DELICIOUS AND CRISPY MURUKKU VATHAL IS READY.
SERVE IT WITH YOUR FAVOURITE RICE DISH OR, YOU CAN ALSO HAVE IT AS A SNACK.
I SERVED IT WITH YUMMY PARUPPU SADAM.
VARIATIONS:
- The amount of green chillies added can be adjusted according to your taste.
- It doesn’t really have to be made in the shape of murukku. It can also be made in other shapes like the image below, which will be much easier.
NOTE:
I used 8 litre pressure cooker for this recipe, and this is the exact measurement that a 8 litre cooker can hold. You’ll need a bigger size cooker to make a large quantity.