Sunday, November 4, 2007

Poori Bhaaji / Puri Bhaaji



Puri Bhaaji is one dish which is served on special occassions, holidays or festivals! It is one breakfast which I consider very Royal, since childhood, have always awaited for it right from the time puri dough is being kneaded and the yummy potato bhaaji which gives out mouthwatering aroma even after it is through! Mmmmmm I am getting more nostalgic and the aroma takes me down the time zone when, as kids we would declare a puri bhaaji breakfast to Amma, who would within no time dish out this tasty wonder, and me and my brother would poke into the hot puris to have fun with the steam that rushed out of it! Cut 2 - going to native place.. school vacations were synonym for a drive to our native place - Karnataka.(Dakshina Karnataka-DK) On our way we used to ensure that our Dad (Aanu as we call in Konkani) -who also hates restaurant food, to take us to one..reason being hungry on drive! So Aanu had no other options but to make a halt at any medium sized, hygienic looks waala restaurant..what would we order..no doubt but our fave 'Boori Bhaaji' yes..its called that as we trail along the south side..I still wonder whether is spelling error or they love that name!! SO finally all of us used to relish on that lovely Puri Bhaaji!
Now enough of my lengthy stories..coming back into the present where I have stepped into age 3 and my daughter too would step into her third year of age, 4 days from now !!(yeah I am forgetful and didn't suffix my 3 with a zero..so 3rd decade of my age it be!
My daughter, my son both love this dish too..they hog on the hot puris while in making!
Here is the recipe for both :

I have taken lots of tips from Shilpa of Aayi's Recipes. Please follow her stepwise photographic instructions for making pooris also her tips most importantly for those 'Perfect', 'Puffed' N 'Oil-free' Puris!

For Puris :

Ingredients :
3 cups wheat flour/gehu ka atta
1 tbspn fine rava/ semolina
2-3 tsp oil (warmed)
1 tsp salt
1.5 cup milk
Oil for frying

Method :

Knead the above ingredients into a tight dough, using milk or water if needed. The pooris should be rolled out immediately without standing time. The rolled out puris batch should not be stacked above each other. Heat oil and fry out these puris as per Shilpa's tutorials. Take them on a paper towel for any drops of oil to be absorbed.



So puris done..lets move over to bhaaji. This recipe is from my Mother-In-Law. Its
very tasty!


For Bhaaji :
Ingredients:
3 medium sized potatoes(peeled and quartered)
2 medium sized red onions
1-5 green chillies (depending on how much teekha you need)
1 small sized tomato
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp haldi / turmeric
water to cook
Coriander leaves /fresh dhania for garnishing

seasoning/tadka -
1 tbpsn cooking oil
1 tsp rai (mustard seeds)
1 tsp urad daal
2 sprig curry leaves(kadipatta)
2 whole red chillies( bedgi)

Method :

In a kadhai or pan, place the chopped potatoes,tomato,onions, slit green chillies. Add water enough to submerge the veggies with water layer one inch above the veggies. Add salt and haldi. Cover, cook on medium flame, with stirring in between. Cook till done. The potatoes should look mashed. Open the lid, and let the excess water if any, get evaporated. In a tadka pan, heat oil, splutter the rai, add urad till golden brown, halve the red chillies and add to oil. Put off the stove. Add curry leaves. Now pour this seasoning on the cooked veggies in kadhai, mix well and cover for the flavours to blend. Garnish with coriander leaves prior to serving.

Serve HOT HOT puris (in konkani as they say..huni huni poori ani bhaaji) and serve with bhaaji.

Ideally Bhaaji should be prepared prior to pooris. :)

NJOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!

5 comments:

Pravs said...

That looks like a perfect puffed up poori. I should try your version of both poori and bhaaji. I hardly make poori,thinking of all the oil.

Purnima said...

Pravs..true..I avoided Puris only due to 'Oily' reasons!But Shilpa truly came up with her lovely presentation and I got an yield of 21 puris with 3 cups of flour and only half a cup of oil, which reduced maybe by one cm after frying that many puris! So you can guess how lovely the dough had been engineered..not to drink oil! Also that bhaaji is from my MIL and a great treat! Do try this combi once!

FH said...

Great combo of Poori Bhaji, who wouldn't like it!:))

Anonymous said...

Wow..they look perfect Purnima. I love these...I think I will make them tomorrow...its a long time and I am missing them badly...

K.Boy said...

Purnima,
Itried your Bhaji recipe from Puri-Bhaji. Came out real tasty and it help me lunch for next two-three days at my refinry-work area.
Only, I added some freshly chopped ginger and cumin seeds and small piece of Gur(jaggery, may be Gujju influence as I went to Gujerati school in Bombay).
Browsing thru your site, it seems you are more fond of all different recipes rather than more of Konkani style like Shilpa, Vee or Manjula etc.
KBoy