Puri

Recipe (serves 5-6)

Ingredients 

Wheat flour - 2 cups 

Chirotti rava - 2 tbsp

Salt - 1 tsp

Water - to knead

Oil - to fry + a couple of tsp to knead and roll

Method

Take two cup of whole wheat flour. Add a couple of table spoons of fine chirotti rava. Add a tsp of salt. Mix the flour, rava, and salt well. Add water and knead the dough tight. It should not be a soft dough else the puris will absorb too much oil. 

Add a couple of teaspoons of oil into the dough and let is rest for about 15 mins.

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel. 

In the meanwhile, start rolling out the puris. 

With greasy hands, pinch a bit of dough, about a tablespoon size, and roll it into an even disc, smearing some oil on the dough if needed. 

When the oil is hot enough dip the disc into the oil and press the sides down when it rises up. Once the puri has puffed up, flip it over and gently hold the puri down so it cooks. 

Once the puri has fried on both sides, remove it and place on a kitchen towel to drain the excess oil. 

Serve hot with Aloo Bhaji

Tips:

• The chirotti helps in making the puris crisp. 
• Kneading a tight dough makes the puris absorb less oil. 
• Using oil to roll out the puris instead of dry flour, keeps the puris clean, instead of the dry flour getting into the oil while frying. 
• To get the puris to puff, try to gently roll them as smooth and even as possible, but without pressing down tight. 
• The oil should be hot. If not the puris will not puff up. If the oil is too hot, it will start browning too fast
• When the puri starts rising up, press the puris gently on the sides to dip it into the oil. That helps it in puffing up. 
• After flipping the puri, try to gently keep it pressed in the oil, to ensure even cooking.

Verdict

Quick and easy to make and a winner with kids. It is always a welcome idea, but I do limit the frequency of making puris. This is a once in a while delicacy we indulge in. 

Aloo Bhaji

Chilly winters have a way of increasing the appetite and yearning for spicy fried food. Our festivals align perfectly with this season giving us opportunity to indulge in our whims as we please. 

Puris with potatoes or chole are such a welcome menu on a cold winter evening. 

Before winter slips us by quickly, I wanted to document the perfect recipe for perfect evening meal. 

Recipe (serves 4)

Ingredients

Potatoes - 4 large 

Green peas - 1/2 cup 

Onions - chopped 

Green chillies - 2-3 

Salt - to taste 

Turmeric powder - 1 pinch

Tempering Mustard seeds - 1/2 tspCurry leaves - 6-8 Oil - 2 tsp + 1 tsp 
Coriander leaves - for garnishing

Method
Boil the potatoes and green peas. Peel the boiled potatoes and mash them up coarsely. If you prefer not having sizeable bite sized pieces of potatoes, then mash them up well. 
Heat 2 tsp oil in a heavy pan. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. When the seeds begin to sputter, add in the chopped onions and green chillies. Fry until transparent. Add turmeric and continue frying, adding another tsp of oil if needed. 
When the onions are tender, add the mashed potatoes, green peas and mix them all up. Add salt to taste, give it a stir and simmer for a few minutes.  Take it off the heat and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. 
Serve hot with puri. 

Verdict

Anything that piques the kid's interest in food and gets them to polish their plates is a winning recipe.

I rest my case.