It’s a recipe I got from my mum-in-law which I tweaked a little. There are many recipes that I have tried. Just to make double sure that mine was actually perfect. Nothing worked for me, the dough was just never at the right consistency with other recipes so the final result was always thick Dal Puris.
With my mum-in -laws recipe I added a little yogurt to the dough and it works perfectly for me. It’s easy to roll and when fried it has that perfect crispness. Dal Puri has to be eaten fresh out the pan, it loses it’s crispness once it stands for a while.
Deep-Fried Indian Bread
For some Dal Puri whether it’s deep-fried or cooked on a thawa it’s one and the same thing. However, the dough is different and I’ve therefore posted two different recipes, at least here in SA our dough is slightly different. Everybody has their own variations when cooking different Indian bread, this is how I’ve learnt to cook them and although I am no expert it works for me.
Gram Dal Filling
We always use gram dal for this recipe but you can also use yellow split peas, it works the same. I know some people prefer the dal mashed up but we prefer a crumb like consistency. If it’s mashed up it seems to be lost between the layers of dough. The dal needs to be soaked overnight and boiled just for a short while. It needs to still hold it’s shape when cooked but should crumble easily when pressed between your fingers. It’s then cooled and popped into a food processor until it resembles crumbs. It is then cooked just for a short while with spices.
Preparing the Puris
My dough is exactly like I make for plain Puris. Except for this recipe I added yogurt, which you can add to your normal puri recipe too. When frying the puris you have to ensure your oil is hot or the oil will soak into the puris. Drain the oil really well before placing them on a cooling rack, serve immediately. If you are not good at multitasking you can roll out the puris and place them on some wax or parchment paper and fry them when you are done rolling them out. When rolling try not to use too much flour to dust the surface as it will burn in the oil. If there is excess flour on the puris you will need to dust them off before frying. I sometimes don’t use any flour when rolling them out.
My mum-in-law has always used spring onion instead of onion and I actually prefer it. Onion can be tricky to work with, when rolling out the dough, especially if it’s not cut fine enough. This Dal Puri is a treat in our home so when I do make it I prefer to make it rich and tasty so I use butter or butter ghee in the dough. I have not personally used oil, however there are recipes that use oil so you can google them and try if you’re looking for an alternative. These puris are so delicious eaten on it’s own, fresh after it’s fried. We also love it with vegetable curries, like this Barlotti Bean Curry or Sugar Bean Curry especially.
If you do try the recipe please drop me a comment. I always love hearing from you. Stay Safe:-) If you loved this, please share!
