Poori is a popular Indian bread made from wheat flour and water. The dough is rolled into thin circles and then deep-fried until it puffs up into a soft and crispy bread. Poori is commonly served with a variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, such as curry, dal, or chana masala. It's also enjoyed as a snack on its own, topped with some ghee or butter for extra flavor. Poori is a staple food in many parts of India and is enjoyed by people of all ages.
Assemble all ingredients to avoid last minute rush.
I recommend to use clarified butter / ghee instead of oil to make pooris crisp.
Cooking
In a Mixing Bowl, take the whole wheat flour, salt, carom seeds and melted ghee. If you don’t have ghee, can use any neutral tasting oil.
Add little water at a time and knead well to form a dough. The dough should not be soft but stiff and tight. You can also make a semi-soft dough.
Divide the dough into small or medium pieces – about 25 to 30
Make into medium sized or slightly small balls.
Spread a bit of oil on both sides of the dough ball. Spreading oil and not dusting with flour helps the oil to stay clean and you won’t see dark burnt flour particles inside the oil.
Roll the dough evenly into circles of about ¼ inch – neither too thin nor thick with the help of a Rolling Pin.
Place the rolled poori in a plate and cover with a clean kitchen towel, so that they don’t dry up.
Now, heat oil in a deep Frying Pan or Kadai.
When the oil is sufficiently hot then add one poori at a time and fry gently pressing down with the frying spoon or slotted spoon in a circular motion.
Turn over when puffed up and fry till golden brown.
Serve poori hot with a vegetable curry like korma or sweet dishes like suji ka halwa or aamras or potato curry.
Poori Dough: Make sure the puri dough is tight and firm as a soft dough will not hold its shape when frying. Add a sprinkle of flour to the dough while kneading if you notice it feeling too loose.
Rolling: Along with adding a bit of oil to the flattened dough ball, you can lightly grease the rolling pin with oil to help keep it from sticking to the dough. Again, do not dust with flour because these particles will burn in the hot oil.
Frying: It is very important that the oil is exactly at the right temperature. If the oil is too hot the puri will burn. However, if the oil is cold they will become soggy. Frying oil should be between 360 to 375 degrees Fahrenheit or 180 to 190 degrees Celsius. The poori should puff while frying. If not, then either the dough has not been kneaded well, the poori has not been rolled out evenly, or the oil is not hot enough.
Digestion: Add ajwain seeds (carom seeds) to the dough as they are very helpful in digestion, and add a lovely light aroma to the puri.
Crispy puri: For a crispier texture, add ¼ cup fine suji (rava or semolina flour) to the dough.
Ingredients & Equipments: Find these Ingredients & Equipments at Indian specialty food stores / Grocery Stores or Online Stores. For review of some stores, please refer to the Grocery Review Section on our Website.
Nutrition Information (Note: Approximate)
Nutrition Facts
Poori Recipe / Puri Recipe
Amount per Serving
Calories
90
% Daily Value*
Fat
6
g
9
%
Saturated Fat
1
g
6
%
Sodium
78
mg
3
%
Potassium
44
mg
1
%
Carbohydrates
9
g
3
%
Fiber
1
g
4
%
Sugar
1
g
1
%
Protein
2
g
4
%
Calcium
4
mg
0
%
Iron
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.