Learn how to make Homemade rice flour for Indian snacks like Murukku, Seedai and other snacks. With step-by-step photo guide and full video for beginners easy to understand.
Homemade rice flour gives best results for all the homemade dishes as it is fresh, gives better taste and texture too.
Check out my How to make urad dal flour and Kai murukku recipe in this website.
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Ever since I started cooking and started attempting making snacks, I used idiyappam flour. Many of you must be knowing this if you are following my posts from beginning. It's because raw rice was not available those days in Mustafa. I was not sure about little India, but I visit only Mustafa those days. So it was just basmati and ponni parboiled rice.
Idiyappam flour (Baba brand) was a saviour for me as everything turned out perfect with it. It was good in quality, finest ground flour as well. Be it thenkuzhal, or kozhukattai, everything was turning out too good with it. Then why bother about homemade rice flour?
Homemade
Years passed and all of a sudden craved for Kai murukku and seedai. Will I spare both from trying with idiyappam flour? No, I did try but in vain. So it became a compulsion for me to make fresh homemade rice flour. I made it for first time and both seedai and kai murukku turned out perfect with the prepared rice flour at home.
Later I started making many snacks using fresh flour like achu murukku etc. Every year I make for Gokulashtami, but I am always in hurry (or I never wanted to make it complicated on the festival day). Roughly managed sometime back and have it as a page in my site.
Today also I made for Karadaiyan nombu adai and suddenly thought I will have a separate post with video for this.
Best Rice for Rice flour
I get Sona masuri and find it good for making flour. I have not much options. In South Indian small local shops, you can ask for maavu arisi (IR 20), which is apparently rich in starch and perfect for making rice flour. In Singapore, shops like Sri Murugan and other grocery shops will have IR20 maavu arisi.
Before you ask, no Basmati rice won't be good for this. I have not tried any other rice variety when it comes to homemade rice flour. If you have any other good suggestions for people abroad (for those who don't have access to maavu arisi) please leave your suggestions in comments section.
Below is by roasting method. But for bulk options, you can give it to mill after drying the rice (step 5).
Also if you are in a sunny region, instead of roasting, you can spread and dry in shade (by covering with another cloth over the flour) for 3 days.
Step by step photos
Learn how to make homemade rice flour for snacks like murukku, seedai, kozhukattai and others.
- Firstly, wash the rice well 2-3 times in water. I took 1 cup of raw rice (Sona masuri or IR20)
- Add enough water and soak for 2 hours.
- Once done, drain water completely using a metal strainer.
- Then, in a clean kitchen towel or cotton cloth preferably white, spread the soaked rice.
- Set aside for 15 minutes minimum.
- Then, place the rice in a mixer.
- Grind to a fine powder.
- Place the flour in a sieve and get rid of the unground rice.
- You can add it to the next batch and powder again.
- Then, dry roast in medium flame without changing it's colour. Only until steam rises.
- It should be free flowing, able to draw a line without breaking, if you try.
- Cool down by spreading in a wide plate.
- Again sieve to get rid of small lumps.
- Use it in any snack, as needed. Store in an airtight container and use upto a month.
Make sure no moisture is there in the rice flour, especially if you are storing for later.
I have not stored this homemade rice flour before, but if the quality of the rice is good and properly dried before storing, it should stay good for about a month fresh. My mom passes me a lot of flour for my use though different method. It turns out to be good. Depending on the quality of rice, the shelf life varies.
Top tips
- Make sure to not change the colour of rice flour while roasting. Be patient while roasting.
- Do the grinding, sieving, roasting all in batches, if you are doing more than 1 cup. This ensures even texture.
- If you let too much moisture be in the rice, while grinding and roasting, it may form lumps. So make sure to dry enough before grinding.
My notes
- The rice flour yield depends slightly on the variety you use.
- Before roasting, the volume will be more. After roasting and sieving, it becomes less. Almost half.
- If you have more than 2 cups, you can dry in shade and get it done in the Flour mill. Because if you grind more than that in mixie, the jar gets heated, spoiling the texture of the flour in turn the snacks prepared as well as putting the mixie's life in danger 😉
- Use water carefully for homemade rice flours as it may not take more like the store bought rice flour.
Rice flour uses
You can use this in place of store bought rice flour. Idiyappam, Kozhukattai, snacks like Murukku, Seedai etc.
Storing Rice flour
Make sure there is no moisture at all before storing. So it is important to roast well. Yet do not change the colour.
You can store upto a month, but storing in fridge will ensure it stays good longer.
I would recommend to finish the homemade rice flour as soon as possible as it is best when used fresh.
Whenever using it, slightly heat it up to ensure it is not cold.
Recipe card
How to make Rice flour | Homemade Rice flour
Ingredients
- 1 cup Raw rice Sona masuri or IR 20
Instructions
- Firstly, wash the rice well 2-3 times in water. I took 1 cup of raw rice (Sona masuri or IR20)
- Add enough water and soak for 2 hours.
- Once done, drain water completely using a metal strainer.
- Then, in a clean kitchen towel or cotton cloth preferably white, spread the soaked rice.
- Set aside for 15 minutes minimum.
- Then, place the rice in a mixer.
- Grind to a fine powder.
- Place the flour in a sieve and get rid of the unground rice.
- You can add it to the next batch and powder again.
- Then, dry roast in medium flame without changing it's colour. Only until steam rises.
- It should be free flowing, able to draw a line without breaking, if you try.
- Cool down by spreading in a wide plate.
- Again sieve to get rid of small lumps.
- Use it in any snack, as needed. Store in an airtight container and use upto a month.
Video
Notes
- The rice flour yield depends slightly on the variety you use.
- Before roasting, the volume will be more. After roasting and sieving, it becomes less. Almost half.
Athi says
Hello Raji,
Whether the same flour can be used for making puttu and idiyappam?
Raks Anand says
For puttu, slightly coarse ground will work better. Idiyappam yes you can.
Rajani says
Which mixer grinder do u use for grinding flours like ragi, jowar, etc
Raks Anand says
I have not prepared on my own, I buy store bought ones so far. My mom has been using Panasonic for years. It's good.
latha says
Could you let me know brand for maavu arisi? I have been searching for same in little india shops too and couldnt find one
Raks Anand says
I have not found here, I just use Sona masuri.
Blanche says
Hi, I soak rice and dry in sun and then send to mill, but in many recipes I find that rice is to be dried in shade. Which is better ? Dry in sun and send to mill or dry in shade and send to mill?
Raks Anand says
I would suggest to dry rice in shade and then if you want dry the flour in sun for longer shelf life. Do not dry rice in sun as it doesnt serve the purpose. Wet rice gets ground well in mill.