Pooris

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup fine semolina
Oil for deep frying

Mix the flour and semolina with 1/2 cup water into a dough and knead well until firm.  If necessary, add more flour to make it a very firm dough.  Cover and leave for 1 hour.

Knead the dough again and divide into 12 balls.  Roll each dough ball out to 1/12-inch thick, making a circle of about 4 inches in diameter.

Fill a kadhai or heavy-based saucepan to one-third full with oil and heat to 350° F.  Test the temperature by putting a small piece of the dough into the oil.  If the dough rises to the surface in a couple of seconds, the oil is ready.  Put a poori into the hot oil, then about 5 seconds after it rises to the surface, gently push it down with the back of a spoon, keeping it submerged in the hot oil until it puffs up; this will take about 5 seconds.  Turn over and cook until the other side is lightly browned.  Remove from the oil and drain on a wire rack.  This frying process should take 15 to 20 seconds for each poori.  Continue until all pooris are cooked.

Makes 12 large pooris.


From A Little Taste of India by Priya Wickramasinghe and Carol Selva Rajah