FOOD NEWS
The South Indian Snack That's Perfect For Diwali
By Jennifer Amos
Diwali, known as the "festival of lights," is the most popular and important festival in India, with billions of people from different faiths celebrating yearly. Diwali symbolizes the beginning of a new year and celebrates the victory of light, knowledge, and good over darkness, ignorance, and evil; it is observed with family gatherings, fireworks, prayer, and charity.
This year's Diwali celebrations began on October 24, 2022. Partaking in feasts with family and friends is a big part of Diwali, and a perfect snack to enjoy during the festival is a South Indian treat called murukku, also known as chakli in North India. Murukku means "to twist" in Tamil and is often enjoyed at festivals and eaten while sipping tea.
Murukku is a crunchy, circular fried snack made from a dough of rice flour, lentil flour, red chili powder, salt, white sesame seeds, asafoetida powder, carom or cumin seeds, ghee, and water. The dough is kneaded, separated into portions, and pressed through the star-shaped opening of a murukku maker; it is then spiraled around itself and fried until golden and crispy.