Poori (Deep Fried Bread)

Pooris (Puris) are deep-fried puffed whole wheat breads. They are eaten for breakfast or as a snack or light meal. Pooris taste great with savory curry or bhaji. They are also eaten by Gujaratis as part of the thali. They taste great with vegetable dishes. They should be perfectly golden in color and puffy. They are best eaten immediately. A variant of puri is batura - made from refined flour and is leavened with yeast resulting in a softer and fluffier fried bread.

How to make Poori:

1. Sieve the flour and place it in a large bowl, add salt, stir well.
2. Make a well in the center and gradually pour in the water, mixing well with your fingers to for a dough, adding more water if necessary.
3. Turn the dough out onto a floured counter and knead until it is smooth and elastic. Let stand in a warm place for 15 minutes.
4. Divide the dough into 7-9 equal-size portions and with lightly oiled hands pat each into a smooth ball. On a lightly oiled counter, roll out each ball to for a thin circle.
5. Heat the vegetable oil in a deep skillet. Deep-fry the circles in batches for 5-8 minutes, turning once, until golden in color. Remove the pooris from the skillet and drain. Serve hot.