The Veggie Indian: Spinach Poori :: Paalak ki Puri

Spinach is one of my most fav veggie. I can eat it for all three meals of the day. ( apart from the 7-10 small meals that I usually do ). Every Sunday I get this big pack of 800 gms from Morrisons and finish it all off before the week is over. Though I know hundreds of ways to include this super healthy vegetable in my diet, I still sometimes get confused how to finish up the last few leaves remaining in the pack. It usually goes down into the chapathi dough or Dosa batter. And that’s the best way to use it as well, since it doesn’t get over cooked and hence retains most of its nutrients.

Last weekend though, I was thinking to make Poori Chhole and thought of adding Spinach to the fried Pooris. Just 15-20 leaves certainly doesn’t make deep fried bread a health food, but it still counts. Plus, I wouldn’t have dropped the idea of having Poori anyway… so, then and there... Paalak ki Puri with Chhole Masaala got ready for our Sunday brunch.

Paalak ki poori, in itself is very tasty due to the addition of spices and ginger etc. And they make an excellent snack for Kids, during travel.I recently got to know that Indore city is famous for Paalak ki puris, which are served with masaale wale Aalu, and corn stir fry. Hopefully I will make these two things shortly and post on the blog.

When I make Spinach pooris, I usually don’t blend the spinach after blanching ( wilting the spinach ). I chop the leaves fine, wash them and then blanch them in microwave. Mash them with a spatula or flat base spoon and then knead it into the dough. I somehow don’t like the puréed version and I find it makes the dough very loose quickly due to the water released from Spinach. You may try both ways and see what suits you better.

See more spinach and green vegetables' recipes here

Preparation time:- 10 min

Cooking time:- 15-20 min for 4 people

Serves:- 4-5 people

Cuisine:- North Indian

Course:- Bread for Mains

What you need?

4 cups of Whole wheat flour ( Atta )
2 packed cups of spinach leaves, washed and stemmed
1 tsp Ajwain ( carom seeds )
1 tsp Salt
½ tsp Cumin powder ( Jeera powder / Zeera Powder )
½ inch of grated ginger
A pinch of Asafoetida
2 tbsp oil + more for frying
Warm water for kneading

How to make?

Take spinach leaves in a microwavable bowl and microwave on full power for 3-4 minutes. Alternatively, you may simply cook spinach leaves in a pan, covered without water for 2-3 minutes.
Once the leaves are wilted ( reduced in size or shrunk ), add into it all the other ingredients and kenead into a smooth dough using little warm water. Do not go over board with water, which will result into a very pliable dough which is good for Chapathis. We want a tight but smooth dough to make Pooris. Keep aside for 20-25 minutes
Now, divide the dough into equal sized small balls ( around 18-20 with this dough ) and roll them thin into 3-4 inch diameter circles. These will be smaller than Chapathis, but not that thin. If you wish to have equal size, just cut off the sides using a cookie cutter or simply a sharp edged bowl.
While you are using the Pooris, pour the oil in a wide wok ( Kadhayi) and keep on medium flame. Once you have rolled all the Pooris, check if the oil is hot enough by dropping a small piece of dough into it. if it sizzle and float its way up, it means the oil is ready at right temperature.
Slide one Poori into the wok, and gently tap on top with the help of the ladle. It will start puffing up, flip it over and press again very gently. It will be cooked very quickly, in 20-25 seconds max. Drain and take it out on a kitchen towel
Fry all the Pooris in batches of 1-2 depending on the size of your Kadhayi (wok).
Enjoy hot with chilled Raita, Tomato Chutney , Potato gravy or Chhole Masala.

Some Notes and tips:

You can keep them at room temperature for upto 24 hours, they make an excellent travel food
I love to have these Pooris hot and fresh with chilled Rice Kheer. It’s the best combo I have ever tasted, try it once. For the recipe of Kheer I make with these Pooris, click here.
Avoid frying these in wide and shallow pans. If you don’t have a Wok, use the deepest pan you have, preferable non-stick and not steel or aluminium.
Keep checking the temperature of oil frequently. You might have to turn the flame to low or high a couple of times in between. Take care not to burn the pooris while you are adjusting the flame. If its too low, the pooris will become hard quickly, on the other side if it’s too high, they will burn from outside and undercooked from outside. You will get the hang of it, in 1 or 2 trials.
You may simply have them as a snack, with tea or coffee, with pickle along side.