Puffed rice (mandakki / murmura)
मुरमुरा · ಮಂಡಕ್ಕಿ · మరమరాలు · பொரி
Rice & Grains
The base of churmuri, bhel and North Karnataka susla. Almost weightless, and it absorbs moisture and flavour faster than any other grain in the kitchen.
What to know
It goes from crisp to mush in seconds, so it is soaked briefly and squeezed rather than left sitting in water. Expect it to collapse to roughly a third of its volume — that is correct, not a mistake.
- Choosing it
- It should snap cleanly and taste of nothing but rice. Stale puffed rice is leathery, and no amount of soaking or tempering will bring it back.
- Storing it
- Airtight, away from humidity. If it has gone soft in the packet, dry-roast it in a pan for a couple of minutes and let it cool before using.
- By eye
- 1 cup ≈ a large handful, loosely packed
- If you cannot get it
- Sold as mandakki in north Karnataka, murmura in the north, and as puffed rice or Indian rice puffs abroad. Poha is not a substitute — it is a different grain with completely different behaviour in water.
Measures
- 1 cup ≈ 12 g
Cups here are the Indian 200 ml cup, not the 240 ml US cup — a common reason a recipe does not work. Weigh where you can; the grams are the figure we cook to.