Soak the black gram in water for an hour and let it drain.

Dry roast ½ cup of black gram till it turns pale brown in color.Keep it aside and once the black gram is cool, put the mixture in a mixer-grinder and blend it into a powder.

In a bowl add rice flour, ½ tsp of edible cumin seed, one tsp of sesame seeds, ½ tsp of chilly powder, pinch of salt for taste and sift all ingredients. Make sure there are no lumps.

Add the fine black gram powder and one tsp of oil and mix. Hold some flour with your two fingers, see if it binds or stick together. This 'binding' is important to keep your Murukku in fine shape.

Pour in 1½ cup of lukewarm water into the mixture. Stir well, make sure the dough has no lumps. It is advisable to add water gradually. It should be a smooth dough that does not break or crack.

You have to start shaping the Murukku as soon as you have made the dough, so keep everything ready. Divide the dough in equal parts, and put it inside a Murukku maker.

Put the oil in pan for heating. Reduce the flame to low. Next, place a greased parchment paper Gently flip the handles of murukku maker to create fascinating shapes of murukku. Start from centre and make concentric circles on the paper.

Now go back to the oil. Check if it is hot. Drop a bit of dough in the oil, if it comes back up too soon, the oil is very hot, reduce the flame. If if sinks to bottom, the oil is not hot. Once you have the optimal temperature, drop the Murukkus you had shaped earlier using a spatula. Be very careful.