Diwali Staple · Spiral Rice Fritter
Murukku
Photo: sarav / Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Manapparai, a town near Tiruchirappalli, is so known for its murukku that local makers sell it by the bagful to travellers, and they credit the town's water for the taste.
Rice flour and urad dal flour are kneaded with cumin or sesame seeds, chili powder, and asafoetida into a stiff dough, pressed through a disc-shaped mold into tight spirals, and deep-fried until crisp. Tea stalls, snack shops, and Diwali stockpiles across Tamil Nadu keep it on hand as an anytime crunchy snack.
Why it's made this way: The spiral shape gives the snack its name — 'murukku' means 'twisted' in Tamil — and its place in Diwali snack boxes has made regional versions, like Manapparai's, into sources of local pride.
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