Everyone Loves Poori

The Flores family visited us over the fourth of July holiday weekend. It was the first time the adults had seen each other in five years. Our kids had never met one another. Although I was excited to see them again, I have to admit I was a little bit nervous. It would be a full house, I wasn’t sure what to expect with 4 kids aged 5 and under and given that my older daughter is on the Autism Spectrum I was worried about how she would handle that many people in the house. One of my biggest concerns was being able to have meals that everyone would enjoy, easy to make, and suitable to everyone’s tastebuds. We primarily eat Indian food at our home and although Jessika assured me that her family would happily eat Indian food every day, I was still a little concerned about how we could pull it off. . It turns out, I didn’t have to worry at all. Even though it had been 5 years, it was like no time had passed at all, our kids got along fabulously and everyone ate everything. One particular dish that was a BIG hit was Poori and Curry. It’s always a favorite among the kids and adults and is a standby Indian dish I tend to make for brunch. It works great for a few people or a crowd and I have found that it is a great dish to utilize left overs with.

Poori is basically fried wheat dough. To make it authentically, you generally have to make the dough from scratch from wheat flour. After this you have to use a rolling pin or a poori press to make them into a suitable shape and density. I don’t know about you but I am not very good at making any type of dough. It is usually too wet or too dry. Let’s not even get started on getting it to the perfect density afterwards. An easy shortcut that i have found is using pre-made roti. These are uncooked and all you have to do is cut them up and fry. Easy Peasy! I always keep a bunch of uncooked roti in my fridge, courtesy of our local Costco. Any Indian store would also carry them. Here is an example:

Just make sure you buy the uncooked variety and not the frozen or pre-cooked ones.  The curry accompaniment can be anything that has a gravy consistency. I usually make a potato curry with chickpea flour. It is full of flavor and is not spicy. If you have never made Indian food before this is a great gateway recipe to try out. I mean, fried dough with potatoes? Whats not to like?

Print Recipe

Poori and Curry

Cuisine

Indian

Servings

Ingredients

• 4 Pre-Cooked Rotiland Rotis cut into quarters for easy frying.
• 3 Large Yello Potatoes Boiled and Peeled
• 1 Large Onion (any color) Cut into slices
• 1 Tablespoon Besan (Chickpea) Flour (optional) Put 1 tablespoon in a cup of hot water and mix until disolved and not lumpy
• 1 pinch Turmeric
• Salt (To taste)
• 3 cups Oil For Deep Frying
• 1 Tablespoon Cumin Seeds

Cuisine Indian Servings Ingredients 4 Pre-Cooked Rotiland Rotis cut into quarters for easy frying. 3 Large Yello Potatoes Boiled and Peeled 1 Large Onion (any color) Cut into slices 1 Tablespoon Besan (Chickpea) Flour (optional) Put 1 tablespoon in a cup of hot water and mix until disolved and not lumpy 1 pinch Turmeric Salt (To taste) 3 cups Oil For Deep Frying 1 Tablespoon Cumin Seeds

Instructions

1. For Potato Curry: Boil and Peel Potatoes Cut Potatoes into cubes Heat oil in a pan Add cumin seeds and let them splutter Add onions and let the fry till translucent Add potatoes Add salt and turmeric Add Besan (Chickpea) Flour that has been mixed with water (this is an optional step, the curry will be just fine without it, it just gives it a richer consistency) Mix well Add 1-1.5 cups of water Turn the stove on medium heat and stir until the dish comes together
2. For Poori: Heat Oil in a deep bottomed dutch oven or deep bottomed pan Cut Rotiland Rotis into quarters Deep Fry Rotis until they puff up.
3. Serve Hot and Enjoy! Potato Curry can also be eaten with rice or by itself.