Poori & Potato Masal

Several months back, these puffed up beauties were all over the blogosphere and were really taunting me... I tried to stay strong and not give in because I wanted to keep my 'no frying' streak go on as long as possible but with the Deepavali celebrations I've stepped into a land of no-return (atleast for the time being) and have been making and indulging in deep-fried goodies. I just love pooris (or Puris) and used to be able to tuck in quite a lot even as a kid. I remember eating as much as 10 when I was about 5 yrs old in an effort to compete with my older cousins... on who could eat the most. I would just get so excited when my mom soaked Channa Saturday morning before she left for work because I knew that we'd have Pooris and Channa Masala for dinner that night. Though that is a wonderful combination, Pooris and Potato Masaal (like the ones we get at south indian restaurants) is something both, my husband and I love. So, here's my recipe for that...

For POORIS:
Ingredients

Whole wheat flour - 2 cups
Salt, to taste
Water - as required
Oil - to deep fry

Method:

1) Mix the salt and flour lightly with your fingers. Then add water as required to make a stiff dough. This doesn't have to rest like chapathi dough and is best when made into puris right away.

2) Make small balls of the dough and roll out into small, slightly thick circles. Don't let these dry out. They will puff up well only when dropped in almost immediately. So, if you don't have a helping hand to fry these as they are rolled out, cover these and work in batches. Roll out about 10-15, deep fry and repeat.

3) Heat the oil and once it's hot enough [ Drop a small piece of the dough in and it should sizzle and rise up immediately]. Carefully drop the rolled out circle and press down with a slotted spoon. The puri, much like a teenager, will rise up under all that oppression and balloon. Turn over and cook for about a minute or two more. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate covered with some tissue. Repeat this for the rest of the dough.

NOTE: I love the chewiness in the puris when they are made with maida or all purpose flour but whole wheat flour is healthier and also results in 96% puffed puris :)

For the POTATO MASAAL (Kizhangu) :
Ingredients:

Potatoes - 2 large, boiled, peeled
Onions - 2, sliced into thin 1 inch pieces
Green Chillies - 10 to 15, slit into two
Ginger - 1 inch piece, grated or minced
Curry Leaves - few
Coriander leaves - garnish
Besan - 1 tbsp, mixed with water to form a paste (optional)
Channa Dhal - 1 tbsp, soaked for a while
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad Dhal - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Salt, to taste
Oil - 2 tsp

Method:

1) Heat oil, and season with mustard seeds, urad dhal, channa dhal, asafoetida and curry leaves. Then add the slit green chillies, ginger, and sliced onions. Saute until the onions turn transluscent.

2) Cut 1 potato into chunks and coarsely mash the other one. Add this to the fried onion mixture with turmeric powder and salt. Add a cup or two of water. Let this boil and cook covered for about 15 mins on medium flame.

3) Once the flavours have been absorbed into the potatoes, thicken the curry by adding the besan paste (if using) and allow to boil for some more minutes. Remove and garnish with coriander leaves.

Delicious Poori and Potato Masaal are now ready to be devoured:

Comments

  1. Pooris are my fav too!!! Love them with aloo bhaji... I make mine a little dry. Yours looks gr8! Will try your version some time. Thanx

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  2. Your puris look lovely...they've puffed up so well.

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  3. Dont make me feel hungry with those poori masal!!
    Friend, I tried your Asoka halwa...came out very nice..Thanks for sharing!

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  4. aiyoo..laavanya...what is this!! same with me re..deep frying and eating everything bad...waiting for the new year for some resolve ;)..the masaal and puri is just toooo good :)

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  5. I love puri. Potato masala looks great.

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  6. Laavanya
    Love your puffed poories, they look so delicious and that potato masal is different!!
    I am trying to stay away from deep fried stuff dear and here I am drooling at those amazing pictures!!

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  7. Laavanya, you're really tempting me now, my dear...

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  8. hey laav..had to tell you...boy did it snow for us..it was fun to watch..but as u said shovelling sucks..but we have an electric snow blower..which makes life much easier..when it gets started..but to get it started is a ROYAL pain..serious....i was thinking to make a snowman...but i am lazy ;)

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  9. I love them too, everyones fav i guess this is!! Looks yum Laav!

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  10. Puri aloo and achaar, what else does one need with it during this cold season. Ah a cup of masala chai and i am happy

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  11. soooooo tempting, Laavanya :)
    poori alu is the ever fav, infact puri with any spicy curry sounds good :)

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  12. This is mean..! am trying so hard too not to indulge in this and you had to come and flaunt it all over! Am so making it for lunch! :)

    pics are fab

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  13. poori's are myy fav too....love this combo.. i too made this weeks back by seeing everywhere in blogs..now i'm trying to be in con trol wid these deepfries :-))))

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  15. This is my fav combo Lavi, love the curry. I make the curry same way too....your puris look delicious!

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  16. laavanya wonderfullll and yummy comboo adding besan to potato curry is new to me have to try it soon
    plate looks so tempting

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  17. I'm very attracted to the potato masal.

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  18. That does look delicious, L! Your pooris have puffed up so beautifully. I like the way you have compared the poori to the oppressed teenager;-)
    The only time I ever made pooris was for the poori-party. Too much work! I would love to eat these if someone made it for me:-)

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  19. my husband all time fav...........but im very bad at making good puffed up pooris,,

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  20. One of my easiest preparation. Makes it twice in a week!:)
    loved your version , will try for a change from usual.

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  21. How yumm!!!! Why did I look at this at lunch time????? :(( I would love to try your masal recipe, its new to me. I always make Punju style tari wale alu with pooris or chole sometimes!

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  22. Ramya - that's good to know. I didn't add the besan this time so was more watery. Hope you do try this sometime.

    Thank you Jayashree. For some reason, I've not had too much trouble with puris.. getting soft chapathis took me a lot longer!

    Raks, it's difficult for me to resist poori-temptation too! Am so happy to hear about the Asoka Halwa. Thanks for trying and letting me know.

    Rajitha.. i know and in those 3 weeks i managed to gain 4 lbs that took me almost 4-5 months to lose!! I'm still stuck there but can't cut this habit yet. Thank you. Hope the New Year will bring the change in us we hope for :D
    Nice to know you had a fun time in the snow.. My mom was so excited abt making a snowman but only made a small weird looking shape so we named it a snow duck! I've not tried a blower before.. interesting.

    Happy cook - Thanks.

    Padmaja - thank you. Sorry about tempting you with this post. If you could stay strong inspite of making those delicious vadas you'll be just fine.

    Thank you Sunita. This is nothing compared to the many treats you tempt me with! :)

    Seema, that's so true.

    Vimmi, I'll take that masala chai any time of the day.

    Richa, that's so true. I wanted to try with tomatoes this time but my husband's not a big fan so stuck with the usual recipe.

    Thank you Dhivya. Am so sorry about tempting you so.. You are so good and make us want to eat more healthy dishes and I'm just horrible now!! :P

    Remya, I know what you mean. Thanks for your kind words.

    Namratha, you tex-mex queen, Thanks!

    Sagari, the besan helps the curry thicken and get more uniform. Thank you.

    Cynthia, hope you get to try it sometime.

    TBC, where have you been? I keep stopping by to see if there's a new post every few days but nothing yet. Guess the holidays and the winter also makes us a bit laid-back. I'm getting there too. :) I remember your beautiful puris and that too for a first attempt. Am sure your husband can add this to the list of items he makes for you... :D

    Kalva, make sure the dough is stiff enough, no resting time, make and drop in the oil within a few mins.. don't let them be rolled out for too long and keep the flame on med to med-high. You'll have no trouble.

    Seena, you lucky gal. My dad is like that.. he keeps demanding puris almost every week!!

    Shweta, your tari-wale aloo sounds delicious..my husband's not a big fan of that so I just stick to this one. thanks for dropping by.

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  23. Hey Laavanya,
    Came here to see if you had anything new:-)
    Yeah, was a bit busy the last 3 weeks:-(... had a hectic training prog for almost 2 weeks which also involved a looooong commute. Then this week we had some friends visiting...no time for anything.
    How's A doing?

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  24. Looks tempting lavanya... The flavour is more if this poori and masal is spread over plantain leaf... i love it.

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  25. You cannot resist pooris..u have to give in for these beauties sometime or the other..I like that yours are puffed up so well...

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  26. who wouldn't love puri and khilangu. Its my all time favourite.

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  27. Have fun girl... this is the season to indulge, you can go back to healthy eating in the New Year... Nice fluffy pooris, look lovely... :)

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  28. I don't think there's anyone who doesn't like pooris. Comfort food, too.

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