Jeera Puris (Deep fried Spicy Indian bread)

Puri is an Indian bread very popular in Gujarat.   It  can be eaten hot or cold and with almost any curry.  A lot of Indian restaurants in India serve it in the morning with mango pickle or potato curry for breakfast. It's served as a accompaniment with mango raas, shrikand or just about any curry for lunch or dinner.   Leftover puris are great for breakfast too. Whenever guests arrive unannounced for dinner I tend to quickly make  puris and serve them with potato curry or with chick pea curry. The recipe for puris is very simple and can be made plain with just salt or with spices.  Adding just a few spices and cumin makes these puris a special dish.

Ingredients (serves 6)

2 cups of chapatti flour
Half a teaspoon of salt
Quarter teaspoon of turmeric
Quarter teaspoon of chilly powder
1 tablespoon of coarsely ground roasted cumin seeds.(lightly roast the cumin on a griddle and use a rolling pin to to roll over the cumin.  It will get crushed and release lovely flavours for your puris)
2 teaspoons of oil to use when making the dough
1 Litre of oil for frying.
Warm water to make the puri dough.

Method:


1. Transfer the flour in a mixing bowl

2. Add  the salt, turmeric, chilly powder and the cumin seeds.

3. Add the 2 teaspoons of oil

4. Mix all the ingredients and slowly make a dough which should be firm but pliable. Mix it well and leave it covered with a tea towel for half an hour.

5. Divide the dough into small flattened balls.

6. Roll out each puri and save them on a clean tray or work top as shown below: (try not to keep them on top of each other or they may stick together)

7.  While you are rolling out the puris, transfer the oil to a wok or something similar and heat the oil.

8.  Test the oil by dropping a pinch of puri dough in the oil.   If it raises quickly to the top, the oil is ready.

9.  Reduce the heat slightly and start putting the puris in the hot oil one at a time.

10.  They will start to cook and as soon as they pluff up, turn them over, cook  for 30 seconds and remove onto a clean Kitchen paper.

11.   Serve the puris with any curry or pickle or even yoghurt.

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