Is Murukku Healthy? A Singapore Guide to Reading the Label on Deepavali Snacks

Murukku is one of those snacks that shows up the moment Deepavali season starts: in a tin on the coffee table, in a bag at the office pantry, in a plate pressed into your hands by a friendly aunty. It's crunchy, savoury and very easy to keep eating. So is murukku healthy, or is it just a festive treat to enjoy and forget? Here is what the label on a typical Singapore supermarket packet says, and how to snack on it sensibly.

What's actually in a packet of murukku?

Murukku is traditionally made from rice flour and urad dal (or gram dal) flour, seasoned with spices and salt, then deep-fried. We looked at the nutrition information panels of two supermarket-brand packets on FairPrice's website to see how that translates into numbers. Per 100g:

  • FairPrice Muruku (Thick): 513 kcal, 29g total fat, 3.2g saturated fat, 11.5g protein, 2.9g dietary fibre and 522mg sodium.
  • FairPrice Muruku (Fine): 515 kcal, 30g total fat, 3.3g saturated fat, 12.4g protein, 2.9g dietary fibre and 690mg sodium.

Two things stand out. First, the energy: a 100g bowl carries about as much energy as a small meal, and a 150g packet works out to roughly 770 kcal if you finish it. Second, the fat: total fat is around 30g per 100g, while saturated fat is modest at about 3g. The ingredients list shows palm oil as the frying fat. Murukku is also a little better than many fried snacks on protein, thanks to the dal flour.

The number most people miss: sodium

According to HealthXchange, the recommended sodium intake is less than 2,000mg a day, equivalent to about one teaspoon (5g) of salt, and most Singaporeans eat up to 8.3g of salt daily on average. Against that limit, 100g of the thick murukku is around a quarter of your day's sodium (522mg), and 100g of the fine version is about a third (690mg).

That's before you count the rest of your meals, and before you count that the seasoning clings to the surface, so every handful tastes saltier than the numbers suggest. The ingredients lists also include a flavour enhancer (E621, which is MSG) and several colouring codes in the fine version. Neither is a reason to panic, but they're worth knowing about if you're watching salt or avoiding certain additives. If the code list looks like a puzzle, our guide to food additive codes explains them.

Is murukku healthier than other festive snacks?

It depends on what you compare it with. HealthHub's festive food guide notes that a single pineapple tart has 92 calories, a twisted cookie 67 calories, and five cornflake cookies nearly 200 calories. For cookies, it suggests keeping to two to three pieces of each kind, fewer if you're visiting several homes. Murukku isn't sweet, so it won't spike sugar the way cookies and sweets do, but it is easy to go through a lot of it without noticing, because it's light and crunchy.

HealthHub also suggests baking your own murukku rather than buying the typical deep-fried version, which lets you cut back on the salt in the seasoning. And where you're buying packaged snacks such as nuts, it points to products with the Healthier Choice Symbol (HCS), which indicates a lower-fat, lower-sodium or lower-sugar choice within its category. Note that the HCS compares a product with others of its kind. It doesn't turn a fried snack into a health food.

Practical ways to enjoy murukku without overdoing it

  • Portion it out. Put a handful in a small bowl instead of eating from the tin. HealthHub's host-and-guest tips also recommend smaller plates and cups, and drinking water regularly through the day.
  • Check per 100g and per serving. Packets often list both. Our guide to per serving vs per 100g shows how the two can look very different.
  • Look at the sodium line first. If you're managing blood pressure, compare brands and pick the lower one.
  • Balance it out. Pair festive snacking with fruit or vegetables in between meals, and a short walk after eating, as HealthHub suggests.

The bottom line

Murukku is a calorie-dense, salty, deep-fried snack. That doesn't make it off-limits at Deepavali, but it does make it a snack to portion rather than graze on. The packet in front of you is the best guide: read the sodium and energy lines, decide on a serving, and enjoy it slowly.

If you want a lighter everyday crunch

HexaCrunch makes baked (not fried) brown-rice crackers, with cricket protein in the recipe for an extra protein boost. If you're curious, the Try-All 3-Pack is an easy way to sample the flavours.

Sources

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