Poori Bhaji

         
           
                       Poori is the puffed up Indian fried bread.. An inevitable breakfast dish to savour. Don’t be misguided by its haughty demeanor, with a lot of air inside… he is such a nice fellow and would certainly please your palates..‘Bhaji’ is the side dish to go with Poori. It’s usually made of potato or mixed vegetables and will be kind of thick like a masala. This is my mom’s recipe and is more like a curry.We used to love it when we were kids and still do..

                  It reminds me of my mischievous childhood, when we used to invent different ways to eat Poori in our own freaking ways. My favourite was to eat it by making a hole in the center and pouring the curry inside to fill it. When you bite it the curry splashes all over your face and you will have to smack out good to get all the curry in.. This was a procedure which our mom hated most and used to drive her into a troublesome temper. My son loves Poori a lot, but let me hope he doesn’t invent annoying ways to eat it or I will be bushed. The innumerable little pranks he practices presently is more than enough to drive me crazy.. :)

Coming to the recipe…

Things you need:

For Poori:
Whole wheat powder - 1 ¾ cups
All purpose flour or maida - 1/4 cups
Warm water - as required
Salt to taste
Sugar - a pinch
Vegetable oil   -2 cups, for frying

For Bhaji:
1. Potatoes - 2 , skinned and cut into medium pieces
2. Onion - 1, diced
3. Green chilli- 2, split
4. Turmeric powder- ½ tsp
5. Salt to taste
6. Water - ½ cup
7. Thick coconut milk - 1cup

For tempering:
Mustard seeds -1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - a sprig
Vegetable oil  - 1 tbsp

Method:
              Make a smooth dough with the flour and warm water adding adequate salt and a pinch of sugar. It should be harder than the dough made for chapattis. Keep it covered for half an hour. Make small balls, the size of lemon out of it and press each one in a chapattis press or roll out. It shouldn't be very thin. Heat oil in a kadai or wok and fry the Pooris one by one until puffed up and golden brown. Drain in a kitchen towel.
Making Bhaji:
           Put all the ingredients from 1 to 6 in a cooker and cook until done(about 10 min). After opening the cooker smash it up a little avoiding the green chillies. Add the coconut milk and heat. Remove from heat before it starts to boil and when the curry becomes thick. For tempering, heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan and add mustard seeds to it.When it pops, add curry leaves. Pour it into the curry and stir. Serve hot with Pooris