Aaloo Poori (Poori Bhaji)

poori-bhaji
Photo Credits: Ravi Talwar

Fried wheat flour pooris with tangy spicy tomato and potato curry, Aaloo Poori is an all time favorite breakfast of Uttar Pradesh – India. The beauty of this dish is that you can team up the curry with any kind of pooris – wheat  flour poori, methi poori (fenugreek), palak poori (spinach), bathua poori (chenopodium), bedai poori (stuffed) etc. This dish is served on special occasions by many.

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Ingredients

Procedure for making Aaloo Poori

  1. Combine flour, sooji, pinch of salt, ajwain and oil and knead tight dough with very little water. Keep aside for 10 minutes, covered with damp cloth.
  2. Peel the boiled potatoes and break them with hand and keep aside for a while; do not cut with knife.
  3. Put a deep pan over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon oil in it. When the oil gets heated, add cumin seeds into it and let them crackle.
  4. Add tomato puree and stir fry for 2 – 3 minutes.
  5. Now add the spices and cook for half a minute while stirring.
  6. Add potatoes and mix well. Cook for a minute then add 2 cups water.
  7. Increase the heat to high and bring the curry to a boil. Once it starts to boil, lower the heat and cook for another 3 – 4 minutes.
  8. Add garam masala and chopped fresh coriander, stir and remove the pan from the heat. Transfer the curry into a serving bowl.
  9. Now place a deep frying pan or wok over medium heat with enough oil in it for deep frying.
  10. While the oil heats, make 8 or 9 small balls of the dough. Using a rolling pin roll them out into small circular shape, not too thick or thin.
  11. When the oil heats up, slide in one poori slowly by the side of the pan. Press it lightly with a slotted spatula, when it puffs and turns light red from the bottom, slowly flip it and allow it to cook from other side.
  12. Once the poori becomes light red from both sides, carefully lift it using a slotted spatula and transfer it to a plate lined with paper towels to drain extra oil. Repeat for all pooris.
  13. Serve hot with potato curry and pickle of your choice.

Preparation Time: 40 minutes

Serves: 2

Cook’s Tip:

  1. Adding sooji to poori dough gives pooris a crispy texture.
  2. The dough for poori should not be too soft otherwise the poori will stick to the rolling board.
  3. The oil should be just hot enough to puff the poori well but not too hot to burn it. If on sliding in a poori it turns deep red immediately, that means the oil is too hot. In such a case lower the heat and allow it to come to a lower temperature before continuing.

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