Ashy's vegetarian recipes ©2004

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Puris

Puris are like fried chappatis and are fairly easy to make. They're usually deep fried, but I shallow fry them and it works out okay. They might not be so evenly brown, but they still taste good. I try to avoid deep frying things, not because it makes them too greasy (with good oil and some kitchen paper, you can make samosas, pakoras, etc. which aren't very greasy) but because I think it's, a) a waste of oil and, b) extremely dangerous if you're Ashy Macbean. I came home from the pub once and fell asleep on a chair, after putting a pan of oil on the stove. Luckily, I woke up just in time, before it exploded into flames. That was a very long time ago, but I'm still wary.

To make the dough, I've given rough quanties for the flour and water, but add the last few drops of water with care. It's easy to add too much and you'll suddenly find the dry powdery mix in your bowl has turned to glue. Use hot water but, as you also mix the dough by hand, don't use water hot enough to scald yourself.

Puris are heavy on the stomach, so if you serve them South Indian style, as part of a thali which also includes rice, one (maximum, two) per person should be enough. The quantities here will make a load of puris, but you can also keep the dough in the fridge for a day or two.

Ingredients

2 mugs of flour
About two thirds of a mug of hot water
Salt
oil for frying

Put the flour in a bowl and add the water gradually with one hand while mixing with the other. The dough will be very sticky at first but will soon form a lump that won't stick to your hand so much. When that happens, knead the lump a little with both hands to work out any lumps of dry flour.

Break off pieces of dough and roll them into balls about 5 in diameter. Flatten a ball with the palm of your hand then roll it out on a floured surface until it's about 12 cm in diameter. Toss it gently from hand to hand to shake off the excess flour, lay it on a plate and start on the next one. Once you've done three or four puris, put a large frying pan on the stove and heat some oil in it (about a centimetre depth).

Fry the puris two at a time if they will fit side by side in the pan. About one minute either side should be enough. They shouldn't be brown all over, just a few patches here and there. Once you get going you can roll out more puris while the previous ones are cooking. Keep an eye on the temperature of the oil. Don't let it start smoking, but don't let it get too cool either or your puris will be heavy and chewy. Lay the puris on a plate covered with absorbent paper, then build up alternate layers of paper and puris. By the time you serve them, the puris won't be greasy.