Badam Murukku / Almond Chakli

Ingredients:

1 cup rice flour

10 almonds / badam

1/2 tsp sesame seeds

1/4 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp butter

salt to taste

water, as required to knead the dough

oil for frying + 1 tsp hot oil

Preparation:

1. Soak the almonds in hot water for 15 minutes. Then remove its skin and grind into a smooth paste adding little water.
2. In a large bowl, add the rice flour, almond paste, sesame seeds, cumin seeds and salt.
3. Add butter and 1 tsp of hot oil to this and knead well to a soft dough adding little water. Keep the dough covered all the time.
4. Take a murukku press / mould , use the star shaped disc and fill it with the dough.
5. Heat oil in a deep pan and when the oil gets heated up, reduce the flame and squeeze the murukku directly to the hot oil. Do not overcrowd.
6. Fry them on medium flame till they are cooked and turn crispy on both sides. Drain in paper towel and repeat the same for the remaining dough.
7.  Cool down to room temperature and then store in an air tight container....Enjoy as a tea time snack...

• You can also squeeze the dough to form spiral shape on a parchment paper / back of a greased ladle and then gently drop to the hot oil and fry the chaklis till crispy...