Week 3 - Naashta - India, Part II

Part II - POORAN PURI

I love making flatbreads at home. Unfortunately, flatbreads do not always love me back.  Nothing beats a lovely fresh Naan, Roti, Pita, Tortilla, etc. or the elation you feel when you've finally mastered the recipe.  (Or the devastation when you chew through a greasy, tough lump.)  Deceptively simple, these recipes require a knowing touch, the right kitchen conditions, elbow grease, and just a little help from the "Gods of Bread".

Our experiment with Pooran Puri was one of those times when it just didn't quite come together.  In the end it was still delicious, but not quite the tender slightly chewy goodness I imagined it could be.

Pooran Puri is essentially a flatbread filled with a sweet, cardamom-spiced chick pea filling.  Like Khichdi, it is popular throughout the Indian subcontinent with many variations and alternate names.  (Puran Puri, Holige, Obbattu to name a few.)  It's normally cooked for special occasions and I suspect, is one of those recipes that little girls learn to perfect early with their mothers.

Since we had company, I snuck out of bed quite early to try to get breakfast ready at a decent hour.  For a first-time maker these were quite intensive and I would estimate that they probably took a good hour and a half to complete.

First I created the dough out of oil, atta flour, all-purpose flour and boiling water.  Then while the dough was resting, I made the chick pea filling by boiling the chick peas until soft and mashing them in a food processor with copious amounts of sugar, cardamom and a touch of nutmeg and coconut.

Here's the tricky part - you roll the chick pea filling into small balls and then roll the dough into slightly smaller balls.   Using a tortilla press you flatten the dough ball and place the chick pea filling  inside.  Then using the tortilla press again, flatten the whole thing into its final flatbread shape.  (Not that I imagine cooks in India using tortilla presses, but I find it a handy tool!)

This was where my Puran Poli went slightly askew.  My dough wasn't strong enough and when I flattened it the final time with the Tortilla Press, chick pea filling squirted out all over the place.  We ended up frying the less than beautiful Puris anyways and they still tasted great.  (Kudos to Jon for his super skills frying these up.) We served them with fruit and yogurt but traditionally they're served dipped in ghee or coconut milk and spices.  They tasted super sweet, had a very strong cardamom flavour and were a hit with our house guests who said that they preferred them over the Khichdi.

The Verdict:

For Ease of Preparation:

These were really tricky and required a team effort.

For Degrees of Separation:

For Guestability:

For Sustainability:

Overall Appeal:

Both items we tried from India this week were very labour intensive.  Between the two, I preferred the Khichdi but I do think the Puran Puri has the potential to be outstanding.  Perhaps it's a recipe to come back to another day.

Next week we dine out!  Join us as we explore the breakfast of Nicaragua....