Poori – Perfect Indian Fried Puffed Breads

Poori is a gorgeous deep fried, Indian balloon bread. It is a close cousin of the Bengali loochi, but not quite the same. The process of making them is similar, but I do not want you saying I did not point out the difference. No matter what you call them, the general concept is the same, and the result is ultimate satisfaction. I am sure for most of us, this ended up being a strange holiday weekend. Well, the consistency of an added holiday making it a long weekend is always appreciated.

My Perfect Poori Story

The weeks and days are back to being fairly busy. Some of this is because the children are at home.  I am cooking more meals. They are glued to their computers, doing summer camp from home. A dream come true, not. Anyway, among other things, doing somewhat special weekend breakfasts have been going a long way in terms of earning good mommy points. It helps me to stay occupied as well. My project classes are hits. All is well.

Now these pooris, are relatively easy to put together once you know what to do with them.

What exactly are pooris?

They are as we Bengali’s like to say, the north Indian version of luchis. Well, seriously speaking, a poori is a flaky, puffy, golden deep fried bread.  The word poori actually means complete. They are an accompaniment to a festive meal, or also served in the mornings with a lighter vegetable. My go to as a breakfast dish is this light potato and cauliflower medley.  This is much lighter than the typical that the more evening meal worthy alu gobi. 

Hot well done puris are crisp and light, not greasy. They also absorb less oil than some other shallow fried breads.

What is the flour of choice for pooris?

Atta a finely ground whole wheat flour is the flour of choice for pooris. This is typically used for  Indian flat breads such as chapatis and parathas as well.

A couple of tips and tricks.

• Add water gradually while kneading. A good puri dough is supple and smooth to touch.
• Allow the dough to rest a couple of hours, to relax the gluten. It saves you from extra kneading. Indian bread doughs do not need overworking. So, why add more effort when it is not needed.
• You can watch this video to get an idea of what is going on here.

So, without much delay, here is one of my favorite homemade Indian breads.