PURI MASALA

Puri–masala is a popular breakfast / tiffin item in India: it goes by this name in South India and is called ‘puri – aloo’ in the rest of the country. Puris and potato curry is a great combo. Puris are small circular moons made with whole wheat flour (with a little maida / all purpose flour) and deep-fried – emerging as golden brown puffy puris. Sometimes the puris don’t puff up fully; they turn crispy and oily. That is when the oil is not hot enough. I take pride in my fully puffy puris but my sons would go gaga over crispy (read oily) puris at big get-togethers – just to tease me. The potato curry has almost the same ingredients everywhere – the consistency and taste may vary slightly. Some add garlic but South Indians don't.

Serves 2

Ingredients

For aloo sabji

1. Potatoes – 250 - 300gms (3 medium sized ones)
2. Onion – 2 medium sized – sliced fine
3. Green chilli – 2 – finely chopped
4. Ginger – ½” piece – finely chopped
5. Shelled peas (optional) – 1-2 tbsp (boiled)
6. Tomato (optional) – 1- finely chopped
7. Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
8. Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
9. Urad dal – 1 tsp
10. Chana dal – 1 tsp
11. Asafetida – a pinch
12. Curry leaves – 10
13. Coriander leaves – chopped fine – 1 tbsp
14. Oil – 1- 1 1/2  tbsp
15. Salt to taste

For puris (10 puris)

1. Whole wheat flour – 1 ¼ cup
2. Maida (all purpose flour) – ¼ cup
3. Rava – 1 tsp
4. Sugar – 1/4 tsp
5. Salt to taste
6. Oil – 2-3 tsp
7. Water
8. Oil for frying

Method

Aloo sabji

1. Cut the potatoes in halves and boil with ¼ tsp turmeric powder and salt.
2. Drain off the water and make pricks on each potato and allow to cool.
3. Peel and gently mash the potatoes.
4. Heat oil in a kadhai, add mustard seeds, urad dal and chana dal and a pinch of asafetida. 
5. When they splutter, add the sliced onion and fry on medium heat with a little salt till light brown.
6. Add chopped ginger and green chilli and continue to fry till onions turn brown.
7. Add a little turmeric powder, and curry leaves and fry for a minute.
8. Add boiled peas (or frozen peas) and stir.
9. If you are using tomatoes, add chopped tomato pieces and fry for another 2 minutes. 
10. Add 1/2 - 3/4 cup of water and boil for a minute. 
11. Add mashed potatoes and mix well. 
12. Turn off the heat when the desired consistency is reached.
13. Add chopped coriander leaves and mix well.

Puris

1. Mix all the ingredients and add water little by little to make a soft, firm dough and set it aside for at least 20 minutes.
2. Divide into 10-12 equal-sized small lime-sized balls .
3. Flatten each ball, dip it in a little oil and roll it into a small circular shape (of 4” diameter).
4. Make all the puris.
5. Heat oil in a pan.
6. When the oil is hot, gently drop one puri in oil and keep pressing it  with the ladle and allow it to puff up fully by gently lifting up the ladle. When it has fully puffed, turn it over and take it out after ½ a minute. (See video below)
7. Drain off the oil and place on a tissue paper.
   Repeat with all the puris.
8. Serve hot with aloo sabji.

Tips

1. Usually when we make puri-masala, the 'masala' is in the gravy form, that is why 1/2 -3/4 cup of water is added to the fried onions.
2. If you want to make masala for packed lunch, don't make the sabji loose - just add 1-11/2 tbsp of water instead of 1/2 cup.

If the oil is smoking hot, the puri will turn dark brown. In that case, lower the flame for the next puri alone.

You can get the best results if you keep the flame at high when you drop in the puri, allow it to puff up and then lower the flame as you flip it and remove it. Again increase the heat for the next puri and repeat the process. Not a big deal – with practice, you’ll start doing these steps involuntarily!

Some people use flour to roll the puris – the problem is the oil gets brown with the flour. The use of oil to roll them keeps the oil clean.
If you are an expert at rolling puris, you can roll out a puri while one is being fried, so you save time. I've been doing so all these years - except on occasions when another lady visiting me offers to fry the puris as I roll them!

© Copyright 2011. Brinda Balasubramonian.