Plain and Masala Poori Recipe

Who doesn't love pooris? They are just so delicious and yummy, fried to a nice light golden color and enjoyed with any subzis or curries. Prepared on special occasions, birthdays and parties, they are always a hit and an item which is always in with the crowd. Unlike other Indian breads like roti (which is baked) or parathas (roasted in oil), pooris are deep fried.

I add a little oil for kneading the dough which gives a crispiness to the pooris. For Masala Poori, I add cumin, sesame and carom seeds to give it that extra flavor. The masala and the seeds give an immense flavor and taste to these pooris. Masala Pooris are often taken on picnics, or on travel as they last quite well.

So, lets look at the recipe and start cooking.

1. For the Plain Poori, take 250 gms of flour, add a little salt and 2 tbsp of oil and knead it to a dough tightly, and keep aside for an hour.

2. For your Masala Poori, take 200 gms fo flour and add gram flour, then add turmeric, chilli, coriander and cumin powder to it. Then add cumin, sesame and carom seeds to it. Add a little salt and then 3 tbsp of oil. Knead to a dough, make sure its tight. Keep aside for an hour.

Note - We knead it tight for both the poori as we're not using any dry flour for rolling. Instead, you can use a drop of oil or each when you roll them later.

1. Take half a tsp of oil in your hand and apply it on the dough and knead it again.

2. Make small balls of the dough beforehand so that you are later able to roll it to 3 to 4 inch diameter pooris. According to your convenience, you can roll all your pooris beforehand (before frying that is), or just a few.

3. Heat oil in a pan and fry the pooris on a high flame. As soon as you put your poori in the oil, it fluffs up, flip it over just then so that it fries just as well on the other side. You can press the porris with your spatula while they are frying, just for couple of seconds, so that the edges of the poori fry properly as well. Do this for all your pooris.

Note - Sometime, the oil is a bit too hot, so make sure you don't overcook your pooris, and they turn out to the right color (refer to the image at the top for an idea of the color you'll need) - however if it turns a bit brownish on either side, nothing wrong with that either.

4. Your Plain Pooris are ready.

Repeat the process from above for your Masala Pooris and this way you can get them ready as well. They don't fluff as much as the plain ones and due to the masalas, the color is yellowish-brown.

Plain pooris can be served with any vegetable subzi or meat or egg curries/masalas. I love having the plain pooris with aloo (potato) subzi, check out my images below, one with a dry potato subzi and the other, a potato gravy. However, pooris are totally amazing with any subzis or curries.

A really tasty poori variety to eat, the Masala Poori can be served with any subzi or curry. It is also enjoyed with pickles and due to its inherent completeness, containing the masala ingredients, that is, you can enjoy these pooris just on their own.

i enjoy making these pooris and they're really quite easy to fry, however making the dough and rolling the pooris is something you can get used to. When you do, you'll love making them at any opportunity. They are just so delicious aren't they.. So try this recipe out and enjoy your pooris.