Poori Masala/ Fluffy Puri and Potato Masala

Poori Masala is a hugely popular breakfast staple in India. Poori/Puri masala is a fantastic meal combination, with fluffy puri and potato curry. Everyone loves flatbread that is deep-fried until crispy perfection. Frying the perfect, beautifully puffed up, and flaky poori is an art by itself. Once you master making perfect fluffy puris, you'll find lots of ways to enjoy it. The most delicious combo with puri is potato curry, chickpeas, mixed vegetable curry, and also egg masala goes well with puris. On festive occasions, poori's are enjoyed, with desserts like semolina halwa. Puri/poori is made all over India. But the curry combination with puri usually has the regional flair to it. The yellow potato masala that you see with this recipe is a typical South Indian specialty.

Poori masala/ bhaji was my favorite for school lunch. My mom also makes them for picnics and trips. The train journey was incomplete, without homemade poori masala or egg masala. They are great for travel as it stays fresh for a longer time. They stay soft and delicious.

Warm fluffy pooris taste delicious, and it is quick and easy to make. The dough is not leavened or fermented. The basic poori recipe has whole wheat flour, salt, sugar, and water. Adding semolina helps to make fluffy and crispy pooris, but it is optional. Make small balls of dough and roll them and immediately fry in hot oil. The oil temperature should be medium-high for perfect fluffy puris.

The curry is a simple yet delicious potato masala with cooked and mashed potatoes, flavored with turmeric, ginger, green chilly, coriander leaves, and hing. You can add urad dal, channa dal, or cashew nuts for a crunch.

Poori Masala/ Fluffy Puri and Potato Masala

Ingredients
For the poori
Wheat flour/atta- 2 cup
Semolina- 2 tbs
Oil- 1 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Sugar- 1/2 tsp
oil for frying- 2 cups

For the masala
Boiled potato - 3 medium
Onion sliced- 1 medium
Ginger chopped- 1 tbs
Green chilly- 3-4
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Hing- a pinch
Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
Urad dal- 1 tsp
Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp
Chopped cashew nuts- 5-6
Coriander leaves chopped- 2 tbs
Curry leaves- a few
Lemon juice- 1/2 lemon (optional)
salt to taste

To make the Puri

In a large mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, salt, oil, and semolina and mix well. Add water little by little and knead into a smooth and stiff dough ( use around 3/4 cup to one cup of water). It should be a little stiffer than chapati dough. Let the dough rest for half an hour. Make small gooseberry size balls. Dust the work surface with flour (or grease with some oil), and using a rolling pin, flatten each ball to make small size discs. Flatten into four-inch rounds. Do not make it too thin. Brush off the excess flour as much as possible.
Heat oil in a deep pan. To check whether the oil is hot, drop a small pinch of dough, and if it quickly raises and floats on the surface, it is perfect to fry poori). Fry poori in hot oil till it puffs up. Use a slotted spoon and gently press the edges, and pour oil over the poori. This will help the puri to fluff up. When one side is golden brown, turn around and fry till both sides are fluffy and golden. Lift the puffed poori from oil and drain on a paper towel. Continue frying the rest of the pooris.

To make the masala
Cook potatoes and keep aside. Heat oil in a pan and mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and urad dal. When the mustard seeds splutter and the urad dal turns golden, add hing, chopped cashew nuts, sliced onions, ginger, green chilly, and curry leaves and saute till golden brown. Add turmeric powder, salt, and stir fry. Cover and cook for two minutes. Add the cooked potatoes and one cup of water and allow to simmer for 3-4 minutes. Adjust water according to the consistency you like. When the gravy thickens, remove it from the heat. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves and add lemon juice, and mix. Serve with the fried pooris.