The South Indian murukku is an artistic snack made up of precise twists by the hands which have practiced this craft for years. It was about four years ago when I first saw the simple murukku that was fashioned to resemble different Indian motifs.
The South Indian murukku is an artistic snack made up of precise twists by the hands which have practiced this craft for years. It was about four years ago when I first saw the simple murukku that was fashioned to resemble different Indian motifs.
Krishnakumar is the man behind the idea of giving the murukku design a creative spin. It was in the midst of a family wedding that we were first acquainted with him. In fact the timing was just perfect.
At Indian weddings we so enjoy filling up platters with delicious sweets and savouries that are carried in by relatives while accompanying the bride or groom to the manavarai. While the number of platters to be adorned varies within each family, people are constantly on the lookout for something unusual that adds appeal to the occasion.
So when the gentleman told us that his team could make fancy murukku, we were rather curious. So there we were, eagerly waiting for the big cardboard carton to be opened up for the murukku viewing. All chores were set aside for a few minutes while we huddled together with the aunts, brushing shoulders to stick our heads forward for a closer look.
As the lid was pushed back, there was a collective murmur of delight as we looked at all the different designs. For starters, each murukku was quite large in size, much like some of the ones served in temples as prasadham. Only, these were in the shape of mangoes, lotuses, traditional kolams, flowers etc. There were also some fashioned to look like wide and shallow round bowls. To further accentuate the design, Krishnakumar had added complementary colours. The colours were of the right tone and looked appetising. Yellow, pink and green are the colours which are predominantly used.
At our request, he made smaller versions of the same which could then fit beautifully in a platter. This particular type of murukku tastes much like the white thaenkulal from Chettinad. It has no spice and is made with a simple rice batter seasoned with salt. Despite the thickness of the strands, it is pleasantly crunchy and makes for a nice bite to accompany a cup of tea.
The first time I tasted it was in the company of my cousins, aunts and grandaunts. One big thamarai shaped murukku was shared by us all. As we broke off bits and pieces and passed it around, stretched our legs and took a break from all the packing, writing lists and planning, the conversation was filled with good natured ribbing and light hearted humour!
That’s how a snack like this is best enjoyed, in the company of loved ones. Since then I have yet to come across such fancy murukku shapes anyplace else.
It takes awhile to churn out these different shapes, so the orders must be placed a few days in advance. They also come individually packed in pretty boxes and make for nice festive gifts. So if you still have not yet decided on your Deepavali gifting, maybe this will be of interest.
Krishnakumar operates out of his place at Tatabad and is rather enterprising. It was heartening to see that he has reduced the amount of plastic used to pack his products. The team does seem to be taking the concerns of eco conscious customers seriously and we do hope that they will find plastic free packing options soon. So along with the kai murukku, pidi murukku, mullu murukku and thaenkullal, we folks in coimbatore have another murukku option to choose from and a colourful one at that !
Contact
Krishnakumar 9843320747
K.Geetha Kumar-9443249036
GK services
No.229,Dr.Subburayan road
Radhakrishna road west,
Tatabad,
Coimbatore-641012