Puris are ideal snack items. They can be consumed warm or cold. Plain puris complement spicy curries, shaak or dhal, whilst spicy puris can be eaten on their own with pickles, achars and chilli & garlic paste! Many people eat them for breakfast or lunch and puris are often served at wedding functions.

For gujaratis especially, puris are a must with shrikhand or 'keri no rus' (mango syrup). Despite being fried, puris are meant to be a light and fluffy accompaniment to any meal. Follow these steps.

Preparation Time 20 minutes
Resting Time 10-20 minutes
Cooking Time 30 minutes
Makes: 30-32 puris (allow at least 5-6 puris per person!)

Ingredients
450g (1lb) wholemeal flour
0.5 teaspoon salt
250-300ml of lukewarm water
2 tablespoons of oil
Oil for deep frying

A karhai and skimmer are essential utensils for this recipe.

Method

In a mixing bowl, mix the flour, salt and oil together. Work the oil into the flour. Slowly mix the water into the flour. A softer dough will make the puris rise more, but you may want a slightly firmer dough for ease of rolling. Puri dough should be firmer than that of rotlis. Knead it well, cover and leave it to relax for 10-20 minutes.

Divide the dough into 30-32 small equally sized balls. Roll out each ball into a circular shape about 6-7 centimetres in diameter. Make about five or six puris at a time before frying.

Heat the oil for frying and carefully slide the puri into the hot oil. If it floats to the surface instantly then the correct temperature for frying has been reached. If not, let the oil heat up a little more before frying any more puris. Place one puri in at a time into the hot oil, taking care to slide it in to avoid splashing.

It will immediately rise to the surface and puff up within seconds. Once the puri is puffed, turn it over to cook the underside until lightly golden, about 30 seconds to one minute should be all that it takes. The flip side remains thicker, as the face side puffs up, so when turned over it needs slightly extra cooking time.

Drain the puris on the side of your karhai, allowing the oil to seep back through the skimmer into the pan. Place the cooked puris onto kitchen paper before serving. This helps to drain away any excess oil.

Puris are best when served piping hot

Spicy Puris
The spicy puri is a tasty alternative and best served with a cup of masala tea.

Extra Ingredients:
1 teaspoon Ajmo (rub it in the palm of your hand and let the dust & seed fall into the flour)
0.5 teaspoons of Haldi (Turmeric)
2 teaspoon of red chilli power (or 1 teaspoon of green chilli paste)

Add the above three ingredients to the flour and make as desired above.

Spinach 'Palak' Puris.
Extra Ingredients:
1 teaspoon Ajmo (rub it in your hands and let the dust & seed fall into the flour)
0.5 teaspoons of Haldi (turmeric)
1 Teaspoon of red chilli powder
3 Tablespoons of pureed, steamed spinach.

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