South Indies: Thenkolalu/Thenkuzhal
Sunday, September 16, 2012
So, What's cooking for Ganesh Chaturthi? Like every year, there's going to be a wide array of sweets & savories made as an offering to Lord Ganesha. Afterall he loves eating. We already made a huge batch of Kodubales & they are safely stored away so that no one eats them before they are offered to the Lord.
We also made some Thenkolalu/Thenkuzhal today. Thenkolalu ( in Kannada ) or Thenkuzhal ( in Tamil ) is a traditional deep fried savoury snack made during festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi/ Krishna Janmashtami & even Deepavali. Okay, you can even make it on other days, just to munch on something with your Filter Coffee ( if you have the patience to deep fry ) There are several versions to this recipe, where the proportion of Rice Flour: Urad Dal flour differs slightly. Here's how we make it at home
You Will Need:
- 3 cups Rice flour
- 1 cup Urad dal
- 2 tbsp melted butter
- 1 tbsp hot oil
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- A generous pinch of asafoetida
- Salt as per taste
- Oil to deep fry ( I used refined Groundnut Oil)
How To:
In a skillet, dry roast urad dal on low flame for about 5-8 mins until aromatic. Do not allow them to change colour. Allow them to cool. Once cool, grind into a smooth powder using a mixer/food processor
In a dry bowl, add all the dry ingredients together. Add melted butter. Now add water little at a time to form a soft pliable dough. Set aside
In a heavy bottomed Kadhai, Heat oil to deep fry. Once the oil is hot enough, take out a tbsp of oil, add it to the dough & knead again.
Fix the 3 round attachment into the chakli maker/murukku press. Take a small amount of dough & place it inside the murukku press. Keep about 3-4 steel ladels handy. Grease them with oil. As you press the dough into each ladle, rotate the murukku press into circles.
Quickly slide them into the kadhai & deep fry until the the bubbling & hissing action subsides. Flip them once or twice in between, like say a couple of mins after they go into the oil. Deep fry till it turns slightly golden yellow in color. Once done, remove with a slotted spoon & drain on paper towels. Allow them to cool completely & transfer into an air-tight jar.
NOTE:
- Fry 4-5 Thenkokalus at a time, depending on the size of your frying pan. You don't want to over crowd the pan.
- You can replace cumin seeds with Sesame seeds if you wish to.
- Do not knead the dough well before time & allow it to rest. It tends absorbs more oil as you deep fry.
- You can press the Thenkolalu directly into the kadhai, if you are used to it. But if you are a novice, do not try it. I prefer pressing the Thenkolalu onto a ladle & sliding them into the oil. It's much safer this way
10 comments