You encounter all the flavours of the world in our WUR community. Arohi Natu (22), a Master’s student of Food Technology from India, shares a recipe for Poori Bhaji.
‘This dish holds a special place in my heart. It brings back memories of the festivals we celebrate in our culture. Poori is a type of deep-fried bread, usually made with whole wheat flour. Poori Bhaji is loved by everyone and easy to prepare, making it a staple during festive occasions. This potato dish is mostly eaten with a dessert on the side, like basundi: slow cooked milk with sugar.’
Preparation time: about 45 minutes
For three people
Ingredients
– 4 potatoes
– 1 cup whole wheat flour
– ½ cup water
– 2 green chillies, finely chopped
– 1 red onion, one half finely chopped, the other half thinly sliced
– ½ tsp cumin seeds, mustard seeds, curry leaves
– pinch of asafoetida
– ½ tsp turmeric powder
– ½ tsp chilli powder
– salt to taste
– 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
– lemon
– oil for frying
Preparation
- Boil the potatoes until cooked, then peel them. Cut into cubes.
- Put the flour in a bowl, add a teaspoon of hot oil and gradually add water. Knead it into a dough. Let it rest for 5 minutes.
- Heat the oil for frying the pooris.
- Start rolling the dough — the pooris — into discs about 6-7cm diameter and about 1-1.5cm thick. Sprinkle some flour between them to stop them sticking together.
- Fry the pooris. Once one side turns light brown, flip and fry the other side until it is nicely brown. Flip once more and fry until the poori is done.
- Heat some oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida.
- Add the turmeric powder, green chillies and ginger-garlic paste. Stir.
- Add the chopped onion and fry until the onion softens.
- Add the chili powder, stir again. Then add the cubed potatoes and mix. Cover and let the mixture cook for 5 minutes.
- To serve, put the pooris and the potatoes on a plate. Garnish with raw onion slices and a quarter of lemon.
