Murukku | Indian Crispy Rice-Flour Spirals

Sift the rice flour and chickpea flour together through a fine strainer into a wide bowl; lumps of unsifted flour can clog the mold opening. Heat the sesame seeds in a dry skillet over low heat for 2 minutes, until they begin to pop without changing color. Crush the cumin seeds in your palm, add them to the flour along with the salt, and mix.

Melt the butter, let it cool slightly, and drizzle it over the flour mixture. Rub it in with your fingertips. The proportions are right when a handful holds its shape when squeezed but crumbles when touched. This step gives murukku its tender, crumbly texture; if skipped, the dough will turn rock-hard in the oil.

Add the water a little at a time and knead only until the dough comes together; do not overwork it. The right consistency is slightly softer than an earlobe but not sticky. Divide the dough in half and cover one portion with a damp towel; uncovered dough dries out and cracks as it comes through the mold.

Fit a star-shaped nozzle onto a cookie press or meat-grinder funnel, fill it with dough, and pipe three spiral turns from the center outward onto parchment paper. Press the ends of each spiral into the dough with your fingers to seal them, or they will open in the oil. Fit two or three spirals on each sheet; touching spirals will stick together as they fry.

Heat the oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. The temperature is right when a small piece of dough rises to the surface within a few seconds and fine bubbles form around it. Lower the spirals into the oil with the parchment paper underneath; once the paper releases on its own, remove it with tongs. When the bubbling subsides and the spirals turn light golden, turn them in batches of three or four, fry for about 3 minutes, then drain them on a wire rack.