Mullu Thenkuzhal

Diwali is right around the corner. This means Indians are all busy deciding which sweets and munchies to gorge on. Then Kuzhal (literally meaning "golden flute") is one of the popular savory dishes from my place. It's a deep fried savory made from rice flour and lentil flour. A soft dough is kneaded and is squeezed through a tool that is shown in the picture. It results in intricate strands of fried dough that is supposed to look like symmetric overlapping spirals (like jalebis). Depending on the template used to squeeze the dough out, thenkuzhal can have a couple of variations. Mine has little thorn like spikes all around the strands, so it's called Mullu (thorn) Then Kuzhal. As always, thanks to my mother-in-law for the recipe!

The dough is put inside the left part of the tool with a template placed at the bottom. The right part is used to push out the dough

 Ingredients (results in about 15-20 then kuzhals)

1. 1 cup rice flour
2. 2 cups kadala maavu / besan / bengal gram dhal flour
3. 4 tablespoons butter (or more for crunchier, crispier then kuzhal)
4. 2/3 cup water (or less)
5. 1.5 teaspoons salt (or as needed)
6. 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder (or as needed)
7. 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
8. 1/2 teaspoon hing / asaefoteda
9. 4 cups vegetable oil

Preparation

1. Mix the flours together. Sieve them through a fine-meshed sieve. 
2. Add salt, hing, chilli powder, and cumin seeds and mix well. 
3. Add room temperature butter and knead it into the dough
4. Then slowly add water and knead the dough until it comes together as a soft, but firm mass. Do not add all the water at once. The dough should not be sticky. If it is, then there is too much water. 
5. Heat oil on medium heat in a heavy bottomed dish. Test if the oil is heated by dropping a small pinch of dough. If the dough starts sizzling right away, the oil is ready.
6. Make sure the oil is not too hot because the Thenkuzhals will fry on the outside without being cooked inside. Reduce the heat to somewhere between low to medium. Gently squeeze the dough into the oil in a clockwise fashion (one rotation). Carefully remove the strand of dough from the bottom of the tool with your hand and gently drop the end into the oil.  Make two then-kuzhals at a time. Do not overcrowd the pot. 
7. Gently turn/move the Thenkuzhals in the oil to ensure all sides cook and crisp evenly. Remove when they turn golden. 
8. Drain on paper towels and store in an air-tight container for up to a month. 

Squiggly ones! Only experienced chefs can get the perfect symmetric shape of the then kuzhal