Puri/poori is a very popular breakfast in India. In India , there are so many different forms of puri from various places like bhatura which is usually served with cholae masala, which is a full meal by itself, chola puri which is 3 times the size of normal puri or more bigger than that, then comes the mini puri which is used for pani puri and other chats. The normal puri which is made at our homes are made of wheat flour normally, but if you want can make from maida and wheat flour also by taking 1:1 ratio or wheat flour more and lesser quantity of maida (all purpose flour). Whereas bhaturas and chola puri is made from Maida (all purpose flour), in which curd and other ingredients are added. I still remember, when we use to go to golden beach(Chennai) and in the restaurant we use to order only chola puri which is very big in size , but soft and crispy in golden colour, it is served with cholae masala (chana masala), onion rings and lemon wedges. It will be so big that I cannot have it full, so somebody has to share it with me. Even bhatura is served with chana masala. In breakfast, halwa puri is also served which is very popular among my friends who are from north India. Halwa (a sweat dish) and puri , the combination is new to me but in other places also it is served.
For puri you need to make a dough but it has to be stiff and little hard not like the dough we make for chapathi (rotis), then made it into small balls, rolled out in the form of circle and deep fried till it puffs up and fried well in golden brown colour.
When I make puris I always add ajwain or some spices (coriander seeds, black pepper, cumin seeds and curd), mix it in the flour while making dough. It is up to you whether you want to make it plain or add some spices. The recipe which I have given is for ajwain.
Ingredients
- Oil - for deep frying
For dough
- Wheat flour - 2 1/2 cups
- Water – 1 1/2 cup
- Ajwain (carom seeds) - 3/4 tsp or as required
- Salt - as per taste
Method
Making dough
- For plain puri, you need not add anything except salt.
- Put flour in a wider bowl, add salt and ajwain seeds mix well, then add water slowly and little at a time at regular intervals, do not mix water all at a time.
- Mix it with little water, then add water again as per the requirement and mix it till it becomes like sticky and stiff dough.
- Close it and keep it aside for sometime say 1/2 hr.
- Now again, knead well by adding 1tsp oil in the dough and do this process for 1-2min, till the dough becomes soft but it should be stiff and does not stick to your hands. Apply oil in your hands while kneading dough.
Making poori
- Make a mini ball size (mini golf ball or small lemon) from the dough, as many you can and keep it aside.
- Sprinkle some flour on the place where you are going to roll the puri.
- With the help of a roller pin, make a small circle size puri.
- Roll all the puris and place it on the newspaper.
- Now heat the oil in a wider kadai, when it gets hot, drop one puri at a time and fry it.
- To puff up the puri, just press the puri from top inside oil, till it puffs up, turn the other side and fry it till it is golden brown.
- While frying the puris, drizzle the oil from the kadai itself on top of the puri, with the help of frying spoon.
- It will make the puri puff up and crispy.
- When it is golden brown, place it on the tissue paper.
- Serve the puris with potato masala, chana masala, halwa (sweet dish) or kurma (south Indian dish).
Notes
- When you are making balls from the dough in your palm, see that no cracks are there, as while rolling the puri or frying it, if a hole or crack comes then it will not puff up. So roll the dough in your palm well.
- The puri rolled should not be very thin, other wise it will be like pappadi , a very crispy puri used for chat.
- Instead of ajwain, you can add coriander seeds 2tsp, black pepper seeds 1tsp, cumin seeds 1tsp, roast it on a plain tava or can avoid it and crush it into a coarse powder, and put it in the flour, with this you can add 2 to 3tbsp curd and kasuri methi (dry methi leaves) in the flour, it gives you different taste and flavour or can add just kasoori methi in the flour, it is all up to you what you like.
