Masala/Tikhi Puri
Masala/Tikhi Puri – Puffed up deep fried bread that is spiced up and loaded with sesame seeds and carom seeds, perfect for breakfast/snack!
Puri is a deep fried bread made from whole-wheat flour that originated in Indian. It is perfect for breakfast or as a snack or light meal. Puri goes so well with a savory curry or bhaji, as in puri bhaji. It also goes so well with sweet dishes like mango ras/pulp, basudi or shrikhand! It pairs perfectly with some Masala Chai to make a perfect tea time!
Growing up every time we saw this happening in our house, we knew either it was an auspicious day or we were having some special guests over! Puri was and still is like a treat for us! Seeing my mom or grand ma making this was an absolute therapy for me! Seeing every puri puffing up and then wanting to eat a perfectly puffed up puri is still very pleasing experience! I would pick “best” looking puri and then poke it with my finger LOL. Then I would eat it, not just one or two, SO MANY of them!
There are many variations of the puri. Simplest one is plain puri, it has just flour and salt. Some are soft and some are crispy. Some have simple spices and some have spices along with fenugreek leaves. This version is with spices, sesame seeds and carom seeds. This version is not too soft or not too crispy! Since this version of the puri has seeds in them, you might not have all the puris puffed up, which is completely okay!
This Masala/Tikhi Puri is something we would like to have on weekends for breakfast, or as part of very desi Sunday brunch! Serve it with some hot masala chai and enjoy some family time! You can store this up to 8-10 days which makes this a good option for snacks. Hope you guys like our family favorite puris as much as we do! If you end up making it and liking it, please tag me on Instagram @myvegetarianroots. I would love to see your recreation of this goodie!
Happy and Healthy Eating!
Masala/Tikhi Puri
Ingredients
- 4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
- 1 tbsp White Sesame Seeds
- 1 tbsp Carom Seeds ajwain
- 2 tbsp Cumin Coriander Powder Dhana Jiru
- 1 tsp Roasted Cumin Seed Powder
- 2 tsp Salt or to taste
- 2 tsp Red Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Turmeric Powder
- ½ cup Oil
- 1¼ cup Warm Water more or less based on quality of flour
- Enough oil to deep fry
Instructions
- Mix whole wheat flour, sesame seeds, carom seeds and all the spices in a big wide bowl or a standing mixture with dough attachment.
- Add ½ cup of oil to the flour mix and mix well.
- Add little warm water at a time to make a firm dough. Firm enough to roll it without using any dry flour. Dry enough so that it does not stick to your hands, should be like firm playdough consistency.
- Cover the dough for 10-15 minutes.
- Kneed it after 10-15 minutes to smooth it out.
- Divide dough into 50-55 small equal sized balls. Cover all dough balls with a cloth or using a plate so they do not get dry.
- Start rolling puri as big as tennis ball (3.5 to 4 inch diameter), not too thin or not too thick.
- Cover rolled puris with a cloth so it does not dry out.
- Once all the puris are rolled and covered with a towel, heat enough oil to deep fry all the puris in deep wide pan.
- You can split rolling and deep frying process out so that you do not have to roll all at once and then fry all at once. You can roll few and deep fry those, then roll again and fry again if that feel a bit easier.
- Once oil is hot, place rolled puri in hot oil very carefully. Do not over crowd the oil, fry either one puri at a time or just few to cover the surface of the oil.
- This process is quick, as soon as you place puri in the hot oil, keep pouring/splashing puri with hot oil using your frying spoon. This will help puri to puff up within seconds.
- As soon as the puri poofs up, flip it and fry the other side only for few seconds. Do not over fry the puris, else it will burn.
- If puri does not puff up due to seeds in your puri (it is likely to happen), flip the puri as soon as the bottom side starts to change color to golden brown. Flip it and fry the other side only for few seconds. Do not over fry the puris, else it will burn.
- Again You might not have all puris puffed up due to sesame seeds and carom seeds. Which is completely okay!
- Serve them with some masala chai or something cold and sweet like mango ras, milk, shrikhand etc!
