How to make puri at home

Ingredients

• 1 cup fine unroasted sooji or rava or semolina, 160 grams
• 3 to 4 pinches of baking soda or ⅛ tsp
• 1 tbsp maida/all purpose flour
• 6 tbsp water or as required
• ¼ tsp salt
• Fortune cooking oil 

Method:
In a mixing bowl, take 1 cup fine unroasted sooji or rava or semolina (160 grams), 1 tsp of Fortune cooking oil, 3 to 4 pinches of baking soda and ¼ tsp salt.  With your fingers, mix Fortune cooking oil evenly with the sooji. Now add 1 tbsp maida/all purpose flour to this mixture.

Mix again very well so that the all purpose flour is mixed evenly. Add 3 tbsp of waterand mi again. Add one more tbsp of water and begin to knead the dough. Sooji absorbs water while kneading. Hence add water in parts while kneading. Then add 2 tbsp more of the water and continue to knead. (About 6 tbsp of water. Depending on the quality of sooji, you may need to add a bit less or more.) The kneading is very important in getting the perfect pani poori texture.

The dough is not soft nor too hard. If you make the dough soft, then add 1 to 3 tsp more of the sooji. If the dough looks hard, then sprinkle some water and continue to knead. The pani puri dough should be elastic. Gluten strands need to be formed, which gives structure and shape to the pooris. The correct texture of the dough, also help in puffing pooris and helps in them staying crisp.

 Knead very well.  Elasticity helps in rolling dough without cracks. When rolling, the dough should roll easily without any cracks. You should be easily able to lift the rolled dough without it tearing or breaking and falling apart.

Keep the well kneaded dough in a bowl or pan. cover with a moist kitchen towel or napkin and allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes and knead again.  Now divide the dough into two or three parts. Take one part on your work surface and begin to roll. Avoid adding any dry flour while kneading. keep the remaining parts of the dough covered with the moist kitchen towel. Roll it to a large round. See that there are no cracks in the rolled dough and that the dough has a good elasticity. 

Keep on rolling to a thin and even round. The pooris have to be thinly rolled. If not thin, the base becomes thick and remains soft even after frying. If the dough is not rolled evenly, then the pooris won’t puff up. With a cookie cutter or a small bowl, cut small to medium discs from the rolled dough. Using a cookie cutter gives even shape and size to the pooris.

Remove the dough edges and place the small roundels in a plate without them touching each other. Keep these pooris covered with a moist kitchen towel. Collect the edges and knead them lightly.  Heat Fortune cooking oil for deep frying in a pan. The oil should be medium hot. add a tiny piece of the dough ball in the hot oil. If the ball steadily comes up to the surface, the oil is hot and the pooris can be fried now. Slide a few pooris in the oil. They will puff up quickly as soon as you add them to the hot oil. You can fry up to 4 to 8 pieces at a time, depending on the size of your pan.

Nudge the pooris with the frying spoon so that they puff up. Fry them till they are a light golden. Drain puris on kitchen paper towels.  Once puris get cooled at room temperature, immediately add them to a jar or box and close the lid tightly. Make pani puri, dahi puri or ragda puri from these homemade pooris or golgappas.

Parippu vada recipe

Ingredients

3 cups dry Dhal

2 green chillies, chopped

2 tablespoons of red chillie powder

2 tablespoons of salt

curry leaves, chopped

1 tablespoons Maldive fish (optional)

Fortune cooking oil

Method

Soak Dhal in water for 6 hours or more.Take 1/2 cup of it separately. Grind the remaining portion coarsely without adding water.
Mix the ground dough with the remaining dhal.Then add chillie powder, chopped green chillies, curry leaves, salt, Maldive fish and mix it well.
Heat up Fortune cooking oil in a pan, make small round balls out of the dough and fry until it’s golden and crispy.

devilled fish

Ingredients

• 300 g Fish
• 1 Onion
• 1 tsp garlic chopped
• 1 tsp ginger chopped
• 2 capsicums
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 stem of leeks
• 50 ml tomato sauce
• 1 tsp soya sauce
• salt and pepper
• 100 ml of Fortune cooking oil
• 1 tsp chili flakes

Method

Cut fish into cubes. Season the cubes with salt and pepper and marinate for about 10 minutes. Heat up the Fortune oil and deep fry the fish cubes until they turn golden brown. Drain the extra oil. Cut onion, capsicum and tomatoes into dices. In a frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of Fortune oil in medium heat, put chopped garlic, ginger and sauce and fry for about 30 seconds. Add onion, peppers, crushed red pepper and salt and fry for another 30 seconds in high heat. Add fried fish into the pan and fry for another minute. Put sauces and mix well.

Serve

Chili Parotta

Chili Parotta is an easy to make dinner recipe to try out. 

Ingredients

• Parotta – 2 nos
• Fortune Cooking oil –  2 tbsp
• Small Bell pepper – 1/2 no ( cut into small cubes)
• Big onion – 2 nos (medium size , slice cut)
• Tomato – 1 nos ( finely chopped)
• Ginger – Garlic paste – 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves - few
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
• Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
• Coriander powder – 1/2 - 3/4 tsp
• Garam masala powder – 1/2 tsp
• Tomato ketchup / sauce – 1 tbsp
• Salt & water – As needed
• Lime juice – few drops (optional)
• Coriander leaves – to garnish

Method

• Cut the parotta into strips & then into square pieces.
• Heat oil, saute the ginger garlic paste till its raw smell leaves.
• Now add the onions, curry leaves, bell pepper pieces & saute till it turns transparent. 
• Then add the tomato pieces & saute till it turns mushy.
• Now add all the powders, salt. Mix well in low flame for few minutes.
• Finally add the tomato sauce, mix well, add a tbsp of water if the mixture is too dry. Then add the parota pieces, toss it well with a fork like ladle to avoid turning mushy. 
• Switch off the flame & garnish with coriander leaves.
• Add lime juice if desired & serve hot.

Image courtesy: myediblecravings

Fish Pickle Recipe

Add a delicious fish pickle to your meals for that extra spiciness. 

Ingredients

• 500g fish fillets
• 1 tablespoon garlic, chopped finely
• 1 tablespoon ginger, chopped finely
• 2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
• 1 cup vinegar
• 1/2 cup cooking oil
• 12 curry leaves
• 3 strips dried pandanus leaves
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, ground
• 1 tablespoon cumin, ground
• 1 teaspoon fennel, ground
• 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• 2.5 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• Salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon salt and turmeric
• Fortune Cooking Oil

Method 

• Wash the fish fillets and pat dry with kitchen papers. Rub with salt and turmeric. Shallow fry in hot oil until crisp and brown. Set aside on a plate. 
• Use a food processor to blend the garlic, mustard seeds, ginger and some of the vinegar until they becomes a puree. 
• Heat oil and fry the pandanus leaves and curry leaves. Add cilantro, fennel, cumin, fenugreek seeds and fry, stirring until the spices are dark brown. Do not burn. Add chili powder and turmeric and fry for a few more seconds. 
• Mix in the ground muxtard mixturea dn fry a few more minutes. Wash the blender container with remaining vinegar, and add to the pan with salt and sugar. Bring to the boil before adding the fish. Simmer for 30 minutes on low heat. 
• Cool and store in an airtight bottle. To serve, heat 2 tablespoons thee and fry the required amount of the fish pickle to heat through.

Image courtesy: saltandspice

Fried Brown Rice with Red Pepper and Almond

A quick and easy Fried Rice Recipe for the weekend. 

Ingredients

• Fortune Cooking Oil
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 1/2 cups sliced red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1 (8.8-ounce) pouch brown rice 
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 2 teaspoons yellow curry paste
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Method

• Heat a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat. 
• Add oil; swirl. 
• Add onion and garlic; stir-fry 1 minute. 
• Add bell pepper and nuts; stir-fry 2 minutes. 
• Add rice; stir-fry 1 minute. 
• Stir in lime juice, curry paste, cilantro, and salt.

Image courtesy: theppk

Candied Spiced Chickpeas

Serve them as an appetizer or bar snack. 

 

Ingredients 

• 1 can (15.5 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/3 cup water
• Fortune Cooking Oil

Method

1. In a medium pot, combine chickpeas, sugar, cinnamon, allspice, salt, and water over medium-high. 
2. Bring mixture to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves and liquid is very thick, about 12 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium (a chickpea should sizzle slightly when added). 
4. With a slotted spoon, strain off as much sugar syrup as possible, then transfer chickpeas to oil. 
5. Fry, gently shaking skillet to prevent chickpeas from sticking, until dark golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. With slotted spoon, transfer to a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet lined with paper towels. Immediately season with salt; let cool completely.

 

Image courtesy: marthastewart