Methi Ki Poori

Crispy, golden Pooris with an unusual, healthy touch - Methi! The Methi used in this recipe can quite easily be replaced by other leafy greens like spinach or mustard greens. Methi Ki Poori goes really well with any dish - vegetarian or otherwise - and your favorite pickle. The perfect Methi Ki Poori is pale yellowish/ golden in color and puffed up almost like a ball!


Ingredients


    2 cups wholewheat flour
    1 cup of finely chopped, fresh fenugreek/ Methi leaves (wash first)
    2 green chillies, very finely chopped
    1/4 tsp asafetida powder
    1/4 tsp turmeric powder
    2 tbsps ghee
    Warm water to make dough
    Salt to taste
    Vegetable/ canola/ sunflower cooking oil or ghee (clarified butter) for deep frying


Method


    Put the wholewheat flour in a large mixing bowl or platter. Make a well in the center. Add the fenugreek/ methi leaves, green chillies, asafetida powder, turmeric powder and salt to taste.
    Now add a little water at a time and begin to mix the flour to form a dough. The dough should end up medium-soft so, go slow with the water - add it only as needed, as you go along. Instead of water, you can also use yogurt or milk. This makes for really soft Pooris.
    The real secret of soft Pooris lies in the kneading! The dough must be smooth and just the right softeness - medium. Add water/ yogurt/ milk as required and continue to knead till you get the right consistency.
    Once you've got the dough to the right consistency, add the ghee and continue to knead. The dough will become silky in texture! Cover with a damp cloth now and keep aside in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. This causes the dough to become easier to manage while rolling out the Pooris.
    Remove from refrigerator and divide the dough into golf ball-sized portions. Roll these portions into balls between your hands till they are smooth and without cracks.
    Very lightly flour a rolling board or clean counter surface and roll each ball into a 5" circle (4-5mm thick). For convenience, roll out as many Pooris as you like, stacking them, ready to cook with a layer of cling film between each Poori.
    Heat the cooking oil/ ghee for deep frying in a thick-bottomed flat pan on a medium flame. Deep fry the Methi Ki Pooris one at a time, pressing very gently on each side with a slotted spoon. This will help the Poori to puff up! Fry one the first side till golden then turn over and fry the same way on the other side. Drain on paper towels and serve hot with your favorite meat or chicken curry or even with a dry vegetable dish like Aaloo Mutter. Methi Ki Poori is great for mopping up the gravy!