Saturday, September 6, 2008

Poori

(puffy Indian bread, Originally from The Book of Curries and Indian Foods)

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup whole-wheat flour
pinch of salt
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
2 T. vegetable oil
about ¼ cup warm water
oil for deep frying


Sift flours and salt into a medium bowl.

Stir in cardamom and 1 T. of oil; mix in enough of the water to make a soft dough.

Knead dough five minutes on a lightly oiled surface, with a little oil rubbed into hands to prevent sticking, until dough is soft and pliable. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes.

Divide dough into 8 pieces; roll into balls. Dust balls with flour and cover with damp cloth. Roll each ball out to a 3-inch round, keeping unrolled balls and finished rounds covered with a cloth.


Half-fill a deep pan or a deep-fryer with oil and heat to 375F or until a 1-inch piece of bread browns in about 50 seconds. Fry poori one at a time, turning over once, for 30-60 seconds. Keep patting top of poori gently with a slotted spoon as they cook in order to make them puff up. Serve at once.


With the poori, we had curried cauliflower and potatoes (so yummy--with coconut milk and just enough lime), keema. (Basic recipe below, although I didn't have any okra so I made it without.) and rice.

Pakistani "Lady Fingers"

(Keema)

1 pound minced lamb or beef
3-4 T of oil
4 medium onions roughly chopped
5 cloves garlic minced (or mashed with mortar and pestle)
1 inch piece of ginger, finely chopped
2 medium ripe tomatoes
Tomato paste
A sprig of fresh coriander, roughly chopped (or a sprinkling of dried)
8 oz or more of okra, “Lady Fingers” (fresh or frozen)

Dry Masala:
1 cinnamon stick
2 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 cloves
1 bay leaf
a pinch to half a teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon cumin

Cook the meat in a medium sized sauce-pan with 3 onions, garlic, ginger and tomatoes. Add all the dry masala. Add ¼ cup water. Cover with a lid and cook on low for 15-20 minutes until the meat is cooked.

When all the water has evaporated and the color of the meat has changed to a pale brown, add the oil and let it “roast” stirring it with a wooden spoon.

Add some tomato paste to taste and coriander.

In a large pan fry the okra and the onions gently (about 4-6 minutes). Add to the meat (keema) and mix gently.

Put in a casserole dish with a lid. Serve with brown rice, naan, or poori and yogurt.

4 comments:

Marianne Elixir said...

Ooo...this makes me hungry and looks delicious. Thanks for the recipe!

Daisy said...

Hi there! Thanks for visiting my blog today, even if that post was a bit heated. ;-)

I LOVE that you offer your recipes! I LOVE to cook and I can't wait to try the Poori. I'll definitely be back to try your other creations.

Daisy

Gombojav Tribe said...

You're very welcome, Daisy!

My other blog (Link on the sidebar) is where I do all my politcal ranting and such. This blog is just food and fun! :-)

Unknown said...

These recipes look delicious! I love Indian food. Thanks for stopping by my blog for BATW.