Fluffy Puffy Pooris- Indian Fried bread

Pooris

2 cups of whole wheat flourimage(2)

1 Tbsp Semolina/ Ravaa

1 Tbsp oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp Jaggery/Brown sugar

1 pinch of Love

1 cup of water or more as needed

Oil to fry

Mix the semolina in the whole wheat flour, add salt and sugar, mix with a fork or your fingers. Make a well in the middle

Heat 1 tbsp oil and pour it in the well, on the flour.

Let it cool, then mix well and gradually add water, with one hand, soft knead the flour , bring it together with the other hand.

its best not to add all the water at once, because every cup of flour reacts differently.

when there is no dry flour left, start kneading the dough together, into a tight ball, pliable but not too soft.

put a few drops of oil on your fingers and smooth out the dough.

cover it with a bowl, and set aside to rest for 15-20 mins.

Heat oil in a frying wok, on low heat, while you roll out all the pooris

you will not need flour to roll because the dough doesnt feel sticky, after the hot oil treatment. smooth it out once by kneading softly.

break off dough into the size of a small donut hole, and role it between your palms firmly and flatten.

roll out pooris and keep them ready on a platter, to be fried 2-3 at a time or one at a time, as per the size of your frying wok. the pooris will not stick to each other.

drop a tiny ball of dough in the oil to check, if it pops up right away, the oil is ready.

gently release the rolled poori in the oil from the side, so that the oil doesn’t splash.

it will start coming up to the surface and puffing up, press it gently with the slotted spoon, to let the steam building inside it spread edge to edge,

flip it to the other side and let it fry till golden pink,

scoop it with the slotted spoon, rest it on the side of the wok, to drain off excess oil.

place it on a platter or a colander to cool, repeat till all the pooris are fried.

Once you get the hang of it, you can fry 2-3 at a time and alternate, flipping the first one in.

serve hot with anything you like.

Kids love those with a dusting of cinnamon sugar too :)

 

 

 

 

 

The Grandmother Brigade

My Culinary Journey began with the persistent reinforcement of the Grandmother Brigade! Unknowingly the education began, and started getting stored in the remote corners of this crazy rebellious mind.

I am forever indebted to my three Grandmothers – Smt. KamalaBai Shaligram, Smt. KamalaBai Karanjkar and Smt. Apte ( my best friend’s gammy) who all challenged me and ensured I was worthy of the Family Name!

Smt. Kamalabai Karanjkar   (Smt. Kamalabai Karanjkar)

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(Smt. KamalaBai Shaligram)

The eternal ancient, traditional, time tested and proven science of Indian Food is an extremely complex yet simple and logical phenomenon, based on the Five Elements- The PanchMahabhoota, connecting to the five main systems of the human body and the seasons.

With great humility I bring this page to share with you some of the most simple and traditional dishes, regional cuisines from across the country, few simple tips, and all the mistakes i have made in this journey :)