Pooris – Deep Fried Bread

Recipe by: Madhur Jaffrey – World of the East; Vegetarian Cooking

Put the whole-wheat flour, the 1/3 cup cake flour, and semolina into a
bowl. Add the salt. Dribble 1 tablespoon oil over the flours and rub
it in with your fingertips. Add water, a little bit at a time, and
gather the dough together to make a ball. As you need a fairly soft
dough, the amount of water may well be around 1/2 cup plus 1
tablespoon. Knead the dough for 10 minutes or until it is smooth. Put
the dough in a bowl and cover with a damp dishcloth. Set aside for
half an hour.

Put the oil for deep frying in a wok and set it to heat on a flame
that is slightly lower than medium. Knead the dough again and divide
it into twelve equal parts. Keep the parts you are not working with
covered with the damp dishcloth. Make a round ball out of one of the
parts and then flatten it with your palm to form a patty. Sprinkle a
little flour on it. Flour your work surface and roll out the patty
into a 5 1/2 inch round.

When the oil in the wok is very hot (it should not be smoking,
though), pick up the rolled-out poori and take it as close as
possible to the oil. Lay it over the oil, making sure that it does
not double over. (If the poori sinks quietly to the bottom of the
wok, the oil is not hot enough.) The poori will start sizzling. Using
quick but very gentle taps with the back of a slotted spoon, keep
pushing the poori slightly under the oil. Within seconds, it should
balloon. Turn it over and cook the second side for a few seconds.
Remove with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl lined with paper
towels. Cover the bowl with a plate or lid. Make all the pooris this
way. (Keep an eye on the oil as you are rolling out the pooris. If it
starts to overheat, remove it from the flame for a while.)

Ideally, pooris should be eaten as soon as they are made. If you
keep them tightly covered, you may eat them somewhat later at room
temperature. They will have deflated but will still taste good.

Makes 8 large pooris.