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 :)

 

 

 

 

 

Gola (chickpea dumpling) Kadhi

Gola Kadhi
For kadhi-
1 cup yogurt ( greek yogurt is the best)11807421_875082645899204_1738675581069639431_o
2 tbsp Besan (indian chicpea flour)
2-3 green chillies
1/2″ fresh ginger root grated
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp ghee
6-7 cloves
1″ piece of cinnamon
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 pinch of love
2 sprigs of Kadhipatta ( indian curry leaves)
3 cups warm water
For Gola-
1/4 cup soaked chana dal (Split chickpeas)
2 green chilies
2 pinches of salt
Seasoning-
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp fine diced garlic
1 tsp red chili powder
1/4 tsp hing (asafoetida)
1 tsp salt
————-
Coarse grind the soaked chana daal, with chilies and salt.
Make small dumplings and steam them lightly
Make the kadhi by gently whisking the yogurt,
Add the besan and whisk lightly till the lumps break.
Add the warm water to this mix and boil on medium high heat, continuously stirring till it comes to a boil
Add grated ginger root, salt and sugar.
Slit the chilies and add them to the kadhi.
Add the steamed golas to the kadhi
Allow it to simmer on low heat
Heat oil in a small pan and add the cloves, cinnamon, cumin, fenugreek seeds and bloom them
Quickly add kadhi patta,
Toss a pinch of red chili powder on the surface and pour the hot oil seasoning on top of the chili powder, letting it sizzle.
Make a separate oil seasoning on the side-
Heat oil and add the black mustard seeds, let them bloom, add Hing and fine diced garlic
Stir it once so that the garlic becomes brown uniformly.
Turn the heat off and add chili powder and salt to this, let it cool and transfer to a small bowl
When you serve the kadhi, take the gola (dumpling)out in your plate and break it by gently pressing it down.
add the garlic seasoning on top of it.
It is a divine taste and a meal in itself
Serve hot with a pinch of love and fresh chopped cilantro for garnish, with Khichdi or steamed rice

METHI (Fenugreek) PATALBHAJI

2 cups fenugreek leaves
3 tbsp besan ( black gram flour)
8-10 peeled garlic cloves
4-5 dry red chili peppers
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red chili powder
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
2-3 cups water
1 pinch hing
1 pinch of Love
———-
Chop or shred the fenugreek leaves. Fresh is always best, but can also use dried
Rough pound the garlic( not paste)
Add water in the fenugreek and bring it to a boil. 11760103_864832640257538_867861189260923769_n
Add besan to this n stir simultaneously. Doesn’t have to be a paste. The lumps if any get cooked and lend a great texture n taste.
Add turmeric and salt, bring it to a boil.
In a small kadhai (wok) or pan heat oil, add mustard seeds, bloom them n add garlic and Hing. Last add whole dry red chili and take it off the heat
Put the chili powder on the surface of the bhaji, do not stir, dump this oil seasoning on top of the chili powder. It will hiss n sizzle and give a great yummy smoky flavor.
Add a pinch of love and stir
Serve hot with rice/ bhakri/ parathas.
PS: you can buy fenugreek ( methi ) seeds in any grocery store and grow it on the window sill or patio with minimal sunlight.
You can also add raw peanuts.

Masalas

The spice of life and the life of a dish is all in the Masala! (the spices used)

Masala simply means a mix of various spices used in a specific combination and form. The spices used are not used, “Just Because” or in any random order, or just thrown into the pot or the dish. Each spice has a very specific reason for its use and its hierarchy and form, to complement the dish, its taste and its energy. If it is added to the hot oil, it has to bloom and not burn. specific spices are pre roasted and then pulverized, some used raw.

212I have always made my own masalas, and I will be very happy to share those with you here.