My husband hails from

a small town in Haryana, Yamunangar. The most relinquished and awaited dish of that place is “Makki ki Poori” or “Bhalle” as they call it. These are prepared in the beginning of winters and is available in every hook and nook of the city. People queue up in large numbers from early morning to pack them and enjoy as breakfast on the weekends. These are served with Grated raddish or Daikon(mooli ka lachchha ) , date-tamarind dip (meethi chutney), raddish salad, chhole and curd.

I have tried to recreate them in my own easy style to make my winter mornings as pleasant as they were there. I made them with equal proportion of atta(whole wheat/multigrain flour) and makki(maize/corn flour). But you may make them only with corn flour for a crispier taste. Let the festivities begin with this delicious puffed bread. 😉

INGREDIENTS:
1. Whole wheat /Multigrain flour (atta) – 3 cups
2. Corn /Maize flour (makki ka atta) – 3 cups
3. Dried fenugreek leaves(kasoori methi) – 2 tbsp
4. Red chilly powder (lal mirch) – 1 tsp
5. Asafoetida (hing) – ¹⁄₄ tsp
6. Salt – 2 tsp or to taste
7. Cooking oil – ¹⁄₄ cup (dough) + 2 cups (for deep frying)
8. Carom seeds (ajwain) – 1 tsp
9. Water – 2.5 cups or as needed for dough

METHOD:
| Preparation time : 10 mins | Cooking time : 40 mins | Makes 36-40 pooris |

1. Take a wide plate or tureen (paraat) ,add flour ,spices and ¹⁄₄ cup oil in it. Oil in the flours should be as much as you could make loose roundels of flour in your fist. You may halve all the quantities as per your requirement. This was enough to serve 6-7 persons at a time.
   
   

2. Now add water gradually to form a stiff dough . I used almost 2 cups of water to knead this dough. I add hing to make them subtle on the stomach . If you are using only corn flour , hing helps to lighten them in your diet. Also don’t cover the flour and give it a rest time if you are using only corn flour.

1. Cover and allow it to rest for 20 -25 mins.

1. Heat some oil in a wok(kadhai). Check the oil by dropping a pinch of dough in it. If it comes up instantly and floats ,oil is ready.

2. Pinch some portion from the dough and make small roundels(loi).
   

3. Roll them on a rolling board (chakla) applying oil on both sides whenever needed to help in rolling smoothly. I don’t use flour to dust my dough, since the flour scatters in oil while frying and contaminates it. These have to be rolled little thicker than regular pooris.
   

4. Pick it carefully and slide through the edge in the wok. Let them puff up on one side, then turn them with a slotted spoon(koncha/poni).
   

5. While frying , to puff them, either pour oil with the spoon over them while moving or press them slightly on all sides while rotating.
   

6. When they are golden brown on both sides, drain them with slotted spoon in the wok and take them out in a paper lined plate. Similarly make all the pooris and serve hot.
   

They taste best when served hot and fresh.

[ Tip: If you feel that your dough has softened over time, don’t worry. Take a clean parchment paper or a clean poly bag or ziploc bag. Cut it to get a single layer. Roll your roundels in between these layers with a rolling pin. Roll it thick to avoid breaking while sliding in wok. Pick the paper in one hand and invert over the other to hold it by the edge. Slide it carefully in hot oil and let cook for a while. This will take time to cook ,since the dough is moist and soft. Don’t touch them with spoon for 2 mins after sliding in the oil, when they puff up, turn them on the other side. ]

Enjoy these heavenly pooris with any side of your choice, the most preferred is Aloo matar or Aloo tamatar or just CHHOLE !

Thank you for reading this post ,keep asking recipes !! All your tips and suggestions are welcome ! 🙂