Poori or Puri is a traditional Indian fried unleavened bread made with only whole wheat flour, salt, and water. Make crispy, fluffy, and soft poori to enjoy with your favorite meals.
In a mixing bowl or on your work-surface, take the whole wheat flour, salt and oil or melted ghee.
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.
Assembling and rolling
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.
Place the rolled poori in a plate and cover with a clean kitchen towel, so that they don’t dry up.
Frying
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.
Notes
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.