Sunday Lunch

As a child, I remember my mum preparing puris on special occasions. It was usually made when we had guests over. I loved using katoris to cut out small circles from the atta dough. She would keep reams of newspaper on the side and we would be given the task of lining them up in a nice row ready to be deep fried, fresh just before our guests arrived.

I have been craving this dish for quite a while and I had a bag of atta (powdered whole wheat) languishing in one of the cupboards for a while. S missed the rasta aloo bhaji which was a staple part of his diet during his days in Delhi.

So on Sunday we did a bit of googling and recipe hunting and settled on a relatively easy recipe which resulted in this.
Utensils required- A rolling pin, a wooden flat chopping board , medium- small circular pastry cutter/Katoris and a nice strong man to knead the dough ;)
2oog (1 1/2 cups) atta (chapati flour)
1/2 teaspoon salt
170ml (2/3 cup) of tepid water.

Sieve the salt and atta into a mixing bowl, make a well in the centre, add the water and mix into a pliable dough for 5 mins. Oil your fingers and use a well floured surface because this is sticky business. Place a little oil in the mixing bowl around the dough and leave aside for 30 mins



Roll out small lemon sized balls, place on a well floured flat surface (wooden board) and roll out into a flat pastry about 1mm in thickness, then use your katori/ pastry cutter to cut out circles about 4 cm in diameter. You should get about 30 such circles. Now for the sinful bit, fill a karhai/ heavy based saucepan one third full with oil and heat. To test the oil temperature place a small piece of atta in the oil, it should rise to the surface in a few seconds. Deep fry your puris in batches until they are crispy, puffed and golden brown. Drain on paper towels .




Aloo bhaji: Potato Curry
4 medium Potatoes Peeled
1 tsp of Cumin Powder
1 tsp Coriander ( dhaniya) Powder
2 tsp of Garam Masala
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1/2 tsp of Mustard seeds
1/4 tsp Asafoetida powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp of Ginger Garlic paste
1 tomato ( 200mg tinned tomatoes)
One fist full of coriander leaves
2 tbsp of Oil
Salt as per taste

Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the mustard and cumin seeds and let them sputter. Add the asafoetida, turmeric, coriander and cumin powder and fry for 1 min. Next add the ginger garlic paste and saute for 2 mins.
Add the tomatoes in and fry on medium heat until the oil separates ensuring they are nicely fried, alternatively add the tinned tomatoes. Add the potatoes and ensure they are well coated with the masala mixture and fry for 1 min. Place 1/2 a cup of water into this mixture, salt and cook potatoes till you get a nice curry consistency.
Enjoy with hot crispy puris