Singhare ki poori is a delicious Indian fry bread made with water chestnut flour, mashed potatoes, edible rock salt and a few spices. These singhare ke atte ki puri are made during Hindu religious fasting days like Shivratri fast or Ekadashi fast or Navratri fasting. During fasting days in North India, only certain flours are used. E.g. Singhare ka atta (water chestnut flour), kuttu ka atta (buckwheat flour), rajgira ka atta (amaranth flour), sama ke chawal ka atta (barnyard millet flour) and arrowroot flour.
I wonder why these healthy flours and millets are used during fasting days only. They can even be made during regular days. These flours make for an excellent gluten free option as well.
You will definitely get to taste a slight flavor of singhara or water chestnut in these pooris but that does not matter much, as these pooris taste as good as regular pooris made from whole wheat flour.
Singhare ki pooris can be made plain just with the water chestnut flour or in combination with mashed potatoes. This recipe uses boiled mashed potatoes. Since mashed potatoes are used, the pooris have to be fried in hot oil. On a lower temperature, the potatoes absorb a lot of oil and the pooris become clogged with oil.
Singhare ka atta is easily available in most superstores in India as well as online. I have seen it in reliance stores in India too. Apart from this recipe, for your vrat you can also consider making:
You can serve these singhare ki puri with Aloo tamatar sabzi or Vrat ka kadhi or Arbi masala or khatta meetha kaddu or jeera aloo or Pumpkin sabzi. I served them with Vrat wale aloo.
How to make Singhare ki Puri for Ekadasi Vrat
1. Rinse 2 medium-sized potatoes thoroughly in fresh water. Then add them to a 2-liter stovetop pressure cooker. Add enough water covering the potatoes. Also add a few pinches of edible rock salt (sendha namak).
Pressure cook for 3 to 4 whistles until the potatoes have softened and are fork tender. Once the pressure falls naturally in the cooker then only open the lid.
With tongs remove the cooked potatoes and transfer them to a plate. Drain all the water well from the potatoes.
2. When warm, peel and mash the potatoes with a fork or potato masher in a bowl.
3. In the same bowl, add 2.5 to 3 cups of singhare ka atta (water chestnut flour).
4. Next add 1 teaspoon cumin powder (jeera powder) and edible rock salt (sendha namak) as required.
5. Also add 1 to 2 chopped green chilies including 2 teaspoons of oil. Make sure that the green chilies are minced or crushed finely or chopped finely.
6. Mix all the ingredients first with a spoon.
7. Add very little water about 1 to 2 tablespoons and start mixing.
8. Begin to knead the dough. Don’t add water unless required. Knead the dough and if it looks dry or lumpy in some parts, then sprinkle little water and knead again.
9. Keep kneading till the dough becomes soft and smooth.
10. The dough should not be sticky. Otherwise you won’t be able to roll the poori. If the dough looks sticky then sprinkle some water chestnut flour and knead again.
Rolling singhare ki poori
11. Make small or medium-sized balls from the dough. I got 9 medium sized balls from the dough.
12. Sprinkle some water chestnut flour on the rolling board and place the dough ball. Also sprinkle some flour on the dough ball.
13. Roll the balls into small or medium sized disc evenly.
14. Don’t make thin or thick pooris. The thin ones will break when frying and the thick ones will get browned quickly from out leaving the insides uncooked.
Frying singhare ki puri
15. Heat oil in a kadai for deep frying the poori. When the oil is medium hot, place the poori gently in the oil. The poori will gradually puff up in the oil. Gently nudge and lightly press the puri with a slotted spoon to help it puff more.
Keep in mind that these poori don’t puff up like the whole wheat poori as mashed potatoes are added to the dough.
16. When one side puffs up then turn over gently with the slotted spoon. You can aid the poori to puff up by gently nudging it with the slotted spoon.
17. Fry the other side until golden and crisp. When the singhare kipooris are golden, remove with the slotted spoon and drain on paper towels to remove excess oil. Similarly fry the rest of pooris.
18. Serve the singhare ki poori hot or warm with Vrat ke aloo or dahi arbi or dahi aloo.
If you are looking for more Ekadasi vrat recipes then do check:
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Singhare Ki Puri
Ingredients
- 2.5 to 3 cups singhare ka atta (water chestnut flour)
- 1 cup mashed potatoes or 2 medium sized boiled potatoes
- 1 or 2 green chilies , minced or finely crushed in a mortar-pestle
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder or coarsely crushed cumin
- 2 teaspoon oil
- rock salt (edible and food grade) or sendha namak as required
- water to bind the dough
- oil to deep fry pooris as required
Instructions
Kneading dough
- Rinse the potatoes very well in fresh water. Then add them to a 2 liter pressure cooker. Add enough water covering the potatoes. Also season with a few pinches of edible rock salt.
- Steam or pressure cook the potatoes for 3 to 4 whistles or until they have softened and are fork tender.
- When the pressure drops on its own in the cooker then only open the lid.
- Remove the cooked potatoes with pasta tongs and set them aside on a plate. Ensure that the potatoes are drained well of water.
- When warm, peel and mash the potatoes with a fork or a potato masher in a bowl.
- Add the water chestnut flour, minced green chilies, cumin powder, edible rock salt and oil.
- Mix the ingredients first.
- Add very little water about 1 to 2 tablespoons and begin to knead the dough.
- Don't add water unless required.
- Knead the dough and if it looks dry or lumpy in some parts, then add little water and knead again.
- The dough should be smooth, soft and pliable.
- The dough should not be sticky. If the dough looks sticky then sprinkle some water chestnut flour and knead again.
- With a sticky dough you won't be able to roll the puri.
Rolling singhare ki poori
- Take small or medium sized balls from the dough. Shape them to a neat ball between your palms.
- Sprinkle some water chestnut flour on the rolling board and on the dough ball.
- Roll the balls in to small or medium sized pooris.
- Don’t make thin or thick pooris.
- The thin ones will break when frying and the thick ones will get browned quickly from out leaving the insides uncooked.
Frying singhare ke atte ki puri
- Heat oil in a kadai for deep frying the pooris.
- When the oil is medium hot, place the poori gently in the oil.
- When one sides puffs up, aid the poori to puff up by gently nudging it with the slotted spoon. When this side becomes golden then gently turn over and fry the second side until golden and crisp.
- If needed you can flip a few more times for even cooking.
- When singhare ki puri is golden, remove from the slotted spoon and drain on paper towels to remove excess oil. This way fry the remaining puri in batches.
- Serve the singhare ki poori hot with vrat ke aloo or kaddu ki sabji.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Singhare ke atte ki puri post from the blog archives first published in August 2013 has been republished and updated on 9 September 2021.
Can I use sweet potato instead of potatoes?
Rajshree, yes you can use. slight sweetness will come in the pooris because of sweet potatoes.