Poori Recipe (Puri)
Puri (poori), a round shaped deep fried popular Indian bread which is made from whole wheat flour. It’s a good alternative of roti or plain paratha and has similar directions and ingredients. It is prepared in two different ways – 1) Masala Puri and 2) Simple Puri. The dough for masala poori is prepared by adding red chilli powder, turmeric powder and cumin-coriander powder along with wheat flour and salt while simple poori dough is prepared only with wheat flour and salt. It is generally served in the breakfast and lunch with potato bhaji. Try this simple and easy recipe and make your lunch or dinner a bit different.
| Ingredients: |
| 1 cup Wheat Flour (Chapati flour) |
| 1/3 teaspoon Turmeric Powder, optional |
| 1/2 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder, optional |
| 1/2 teaspoon Cumin-Coriander Powder, optional |
| 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper Powder, optional |
| 2 teaspoons Oil + for deep frying |
| Salt |
| Water |
Note: You can make the puri in two different ways, 1. Masala Puri (Follow the below given recipe to make this) and 2. Simple Puri (follow the same recipe but don’t add red chilli powder, turmeric powder and cumin-coriander powder while kneading the dough).
Directions:- Take wheat flour, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin-coriander powder, black pepper powder, salt and 1-teaspoon oil in a large bowl. Mix all the ingredients.
- Slowly pour water in small quantities in the center. Mix flour with water and make the dough. Best dough is prepared when water and flour mixture is mixed by moving hand in a spiral direction from the center of the bowl to outer edges. Pour water as required and knead until a little stiff (like paratha dough) and smooth non-sticky dough is formed. Cover the dough and rest it for 10 minutes.
- After 8-10 minutes, pour 1-teaspoon oil over the dough and knead it again for a minute. Divide it into 16 equal parts. Take each part and give it a round shape like ball. Flatten it a little by pressing it between your palms.
- Take one ball and slightly grease it with a drop of oil. Place it on a roti making board and roll it out into a circular shape having approx 3-4 inch diameter (oil will prevent the dough sticking to the roti making board). Do not roll it out very thin or thick otherwise poori will not puff up when frying.
- Repeat the process for remaining dough balls.
- Heat cooking oil in kadai over medium flame. When it is sufficiently hot for deep-frying, proceed to next step. You can check whether oil is hot enough or not for deep-frying by dropping a small amount of dough in it. If it immediately comes to the surface, oil is sufficiently hot. Carefully slide rolled circle in oil and it should immediately come to the surface. Gently press it with a spatula.
- When it swells like a ball and bottom surface turns light brown, flip it and cook another side until it turns light brown. This entire deep frying process should not take more than 30 to 60 seconds.
- Drain and transfer it to a plate. Based on the size of frying pan, you can deep fry up to 2-3 puris at a time. Deep fry remaining puris. Puris are now ready; serve them hot with shrikhand and potato curry.
Tips and Variations:
- Dough should not be very stiff or very soft. If it is stiff, puri will turn hard and if it is too soft, puri will absorb more oil.
- If you are making it in large quantity, then arrange rolled puris individually in plate and cover them with a muslin cloth or paper. Do not keep them idle for more than 10-15 minutes after rolling.
- Make sure that oil is hot enough to deep fry otherwise puri will not puff up and absorb more oil.
Taste: Mild spicy
Serving Ideas: Serve masala poori with rice kheer or shrikhand or basundi and potato curry. It also makes a healthy stomach filling breakfast when served with tea and mango pickle.