Murmura Recipe Spicy Puffed Rice

What is ‘Murmura’?

In India, the ‘Murmura’ or ‘Muri’ is a commonly used term for puffed rice. It looks very similar to rice, white in colour, bland in taste, and almost the same size as a rice grain but puffed up. They have a lightness and crunch to them. Hence, making puffed rice a perfect ingredient for various Indian namkeen recipes or other munching snacks like Jhal Muri.
So don’t get confused; the term ‘murmura’ is used for puffed rice and the spicy munching snack aka Indian namkeen. Across the Indian subcontinent, puffed rice is readily available in supermarkets and grocery stores. You can store them in an airtight container for 1 – 2 months at room temperature. For this spicy murmura namkeen recipe, the plain puffed rice is tossed with spices, peanuts, and other delicious things and transformed into a munching snack or Indian namkeen.

Ingredients Required

Puffed Rice: Use packaged, plain, unsalted puffed rice for this spicy murmura recipe. Peanuts: I add plain, unsalted peanuts to increase the protein value of the namkeen. You can substitute them with cashew, almonds, or roasted chana. Sugar: A tiny bit of powdered sugar gives a subtly sweet taste and helps in balancing the spiciness of the murmura. Oil: You can use flavourless vegetable oil, refined oil, or coconut oil. Spices: Chaat Masala, Cumin Powder, Red Chili Powder Other Ingredients: Curry Leaves, Urad Dal, Chana Dal, Black Mustard Seeds, Salt. Optional Ingredients: To make murmura more delicious, I add raisins, Boondi, or at times sev (bhujia). Similarly, add coconut chips, soya sticks, roasted pumpkin seeds, and roasted brown chana to your murmura.

How To Make

If you are making a spicy murmura, I would highly recommend arranging all your ingredients within your reach next to the stovetop. Because once you start the frying process, you have to be swift. Step 1) Heat oil in a wide frying pan or kadhai. Step 2) Add black mustard seeds, urad dal, and chana dal. Fry till they are golden (image 1). Step 3) Add raisins, peanuts, and curry leaves. Fry these as well till peanuts are crunchy and slightly start cracking (image 2). Step 4) Add plain puffed rice, salt, sugar, and spices. Toss them all together. Fry till puffed rice is nicely coated with spices and becomes crunchy (images 3 & 4). Keep stirring; else, it burns fast. Step 5) Once puffed rice is crisp and crunchy, add your delicious munchies like boondi, sev, roasted chickpeas, etc. And mix one last time. Turn off the heat. Transfer the murmura to a large tray or baking sheet to cool down.

Storage Suggestion

Never store a piping hot murmura namkeen. Always allow it to cool down at room temperature and then transfer it to an airtight snack container. Store the mixture in the snack cabinet of your pantry or kitchen. It is best to consume the spicy murmura namkeen within 15 days as it does not have a long shelf life. After a fortnight, the snack’s taste starts altering and becomes stale/rancid.