Coconut milk/Thengai paal Murukku

Diwali goes incomplete without sweet and savories. In top of savory list, murukku holds a special place in every South Indian homes. For this festival of lights, at least two varieties of murukku are prepared in my mom's kitchen. One with urad dhal and the next one is coconut milk (with moong dhal), the crunchy savory snacks, pair well with any Diwali sweets!
The snacks are usually prepared 2 or 3 days before festival, so she doesn't get any surprise (empty tin) on festival day. I got to admit it is a daunting task if you are newbie don't be afraid to ask for help in your home, another pair of hands would be very useful.
Coconut milk murukku is rich in taste and not to forget it takes few more minutes in preparation which is worth. Back home, my mom wash the raw rice , dry it in sunlight and sent to flour mill. The murukku color never goes reddish this way. But for me it is impossible, I cannot go from scratch for rice flour, my mixer will blast! The store bought rice flour works perfectly. For moong dhal flour, my recipe requires a small amount so do it in Indian mixer.

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The cup referred is US measurement. Make the moongdhal flour a day before to ease the process.
Before starting

• Make sure you have Murukku press- use the star plate
•  Make the moongdhal flour: Dry roast in medium heat 3/4 cup of split moong dhal, until they are slightly roasted and crisp. Cool and ground it. Sieve and you need only need 1/2 cup of flour. You will get 2 or 3 tbsp of flour leftover (can be sprinkled in any veggie curry later on)
• Make the coconut milk: Fresh coconut 1 cup- add 1/2 cup of warm water. Ground it. Pass through a strainer. Collect only the milk. I got around 3/4 cup.

Yield: 40 murukkus minimum Ingredients  Rice flour (I used store bought one): 2 cups Moong dal flour: 1/2 cup Cumin: 1+ 1/2 tsp Salt: 1+ 1/2 tsp Melted butter: 3 tbsp (microwave 30 to 40 seconds) Coconut milk: 3/4 cup Water: 1/4 cup + (1 to 2 tbsp)* * use only 1 tbsp at the time and see until the dough comes together)  Oil: to deep fry  Method: Heat a deep pan with enough oil to deep fry. Take a wide mouth bowl or big plate, mix the dry ingredients. Add the melted butter and mix with the flour well. Pour the coconut milk + 1/4 cup of water and try to make a soft dough. ( 1 or 2 tbsp can be added if the dough doesn't come together depend of flour) Now fill the Murukku maker till 3/4 and take a slotted ladle (much easy to drop in hot oil) turn it. Squeeze the murruku press giving a light pressure and make spirals (that comes with little experience) in the ladle. Now take the laddle and drop the murukku slowly in hot oil. Flip after few minutes. Once cooked, the bubbles will disappear and the sounds will reduce. More over, they will look clear in oil. Drain in paper towel, cool it completely before storing in air tight container.

 Tips

• Keep cover with moist cloth the dough after each filling in press and while the murukku are cooking.
• Heat should be high medium always. Too much heat will cook outside and not inside, low heat make soggy.
• If the murukku split in oil: too much of butter- add little more rice flour.
• The oil will look cloudy because of bubbles but once the murukku are cooked , no bubbles and no sizzling sounds should be there.