Puris

These are India's festive breads. They are somewhat magical, so be warned, and be prepared to be surprised. Of course, everybody loves the puri demonstration since that is everyone's chance to actually cook.

Ingredients

Preparation

For every cup of flour, mix one teaspoon of salt. Always mix all dry ingredients together first before mixing. Then add water and try to mix evenly. Knead until it is the consistency of stiff dough. Feel free to add more water until correct consistency. Supposedly it tastes better if you let the dough sit untouched for about half an hour and then proceed to roll.

At this point, you need a clean, flat surface and a roller. Pull off little balls of dough (usually about 1 inch in diameter, but the size should be to your liking, since it will not significantly affect the taste or cooking time). Put the dough on your clean flat surface and roll it into a flat circular shape. It might make things easier for you if you pick up the dough and place it back down inbetween each roll. The resulting thickness should also be to your liking, but thick ones take more time and don't puff up as well.

Heat a pot of oil for deep frying (so the puris can be completely enveloped in the oil, hence the term DEEP frying). You know the oil is hot enough when you see a bit of white smoke rising at the surface of the oil. Put in 1 puri at a time. It will sink to the bottom and then float back up and puff up (magically!). Cook puris on both sides until golden brown. It takes only about 45 seconds. Do not be discouraged if they do not always inflate; for the essence of magic is that it is unpredictable...

Variations

You can make them from the size of silver dollars to the size of pizzas.

Roll 'em in cinnamon and confectioners sugar afterward for a delicious fried sweet (don't tell the Heart Association!)

Put spices into the ingredient mix before you add water and knead it into dough.