Ajwain Puri
Breads · Flatbreads · Indian · Vegan
Small whole-wheat rounds deep-fried until they puff into hollow balls, flavoured with ajwain (carom) seeds.
Untested: not yet made in this kitchen. It is here for the Flatbreads section and is adapted from the source named in the Notes.
Ingredients
- 300 g chapati flour (atta)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ajwain (carom) seeds, or cumin seeds
- 160 ml water, possibly a little more
- Sunflower or other neutral oil, for deep-frying
Directions
- Dough. Mix the flour, salt and ajwain. Add the water slowly to make a soft dough; knead a couple of minutes. Cover and rest 15 minutes.
- Shape. Divide into 20 balls and roll each to a 10 cm (4-inch) circle. (Rolling on a lightly oiled surface, not a floured one, keeps loose flour out of the oil.)
- Heat 5 cm (2 inches) of oil in a deep pan to 180 °C / 350 °F; a pinch of dough should sizzle at once. Do not fill the pan more than two-thirds full.
- Fry one at a time, about 1 minute a side, until golden. As a puri rises, press the top gently with a slotted spoon to help it puff. Drain on paper and serve hot.
Notes
Source Adapted from Chetna Makan, “Ajwain puri,” BBC Good Food. The oiled rolling surface and the gentle press to encourage puffing come from Roopa Gulati’s “Puris with potato masala,” BBC Good Food, which makes a firmer dough of half chapati flour and half plain flour.
Safety Hot oil: keep the pan well below the rim, and slide the puris in away from you.
The Flatbreads section of the Breads pages on the Food site covers the history, the science and the griddles.