Poori or Puri recipe
A poori or puri is a puffy, fried Indian bread that's served on special occasions with a sweet or spicy food to dunk it into. Learn how to make perfect, round pooris each time with this step-by-step guide.
Servings: 24 pooris (approx)
Calories: 56kcal
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat flour (preferably atta flour)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Water for kneading dough (approx 1 cup, although you may need more or less)
- avocado oil or any neutral oil (for frying pooris, to a depth of two inches in the pan)
Instructions
- In a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer or food processor, mix the flour and salt. Trickle in water and knead until a stiff dough forms. Form the dough into a ball, place it in an airtight container and let it rest for at least 30 minutes.
- Divide the dough into approx 20- 24 balls. You can make bigger or smaller pooris, depending on your preference.
- Roll each ball of dough into a circle, about 3-4 inches in diameter. The pooris should not be too thick nor thin. If they are too thin, they won't puff up.
- Add oil to a wok or deep fryer. The oil should be at least four inches deep - using too little will result in flat pooris.
- Heat the oil to 375 degrees Fahrenheit/190 degrees Celsius. If you have a candy thermometer or a frying thermometer use it. Another way to test the temperature of the oil is to break off a tiny bit of the dough and put it in the frying pan. If it sinks to the bottom and rises immediately, the oil is hot enough.
- Place a single poori in the center of the wok.
- Use a spider or a spatula to push down the center of the poori into the oil, gently, until the poori begins to puff up.
- Once the poori has puffed up fully, flip it and cook about 30 seconds more.
- Place on a baking sheet or plate lined with paper towels. Eat immediately.
Notes
Ingredient notes:
- Whole wheat flour. Atta, a whole wheat flour sold at Indian stores and online, works best for making roti and puri. Atta is more finely ground that regular whole wheat sold in U.S. stores. You can find it at any Indian grocery store or online.
- Vegetable oil: A flavorless oil that has a high smoke point, like peanut oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, avocado oil or canola oil works best to deep-fry foods like pooris. I usually cook with avocado oil but I keep peanut oil or sunflower oil on hand for deep frying.
Top tip
- Don't add the pooris to the oil before it heats up to the right temperature because that will result in oil-clogged pooris.
Nutrition
Serving: 1poori | Calories: 56kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 49mg | Potassium: 36mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg