Why it works: Wheat and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,373 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Poori
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dough
Put the two flours and salt in a bowl.
Drizzle the two tablespoons oil over the top and rub it in with your fingers so the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Slowly add the water to form a soft ball of dough.
Empty the ball onto a clean work surface and knead it for 10–12 minutes or until it is smooth.
Form a ball. Rub about ¼ teaspoon oil on the ball and slip it into a plastic bag.
Set it aside for 30 minutes.
Shape the pooris
Knead the dough again, and divide it into 12 equal balls.
Keep 11 of them covered while you work with the twelfth.
Flatten this ball and roll it out into a 5–5½‑inch round.
If you have the space, roll out all the pooris and keep them in a single layer, covered with plastic wrap.
Fry and serve
Over a medium flame, set about 1‑inch of oil to heat in a small, deep frying pan (I used my wok). Let it get very, very hot.
Meanwhile, line a platter with paper towels.
Lift up one poori and lay it carefully over the surface of the hot oil. It might sink to the bottom but it should rise in seconds and begin to sizzle.
Using the back of a slotted spoon, push the poori gently into the oil with tiny, swift strokes. Within seconds, the poori will puff up.
Turn it over and cook the second side for about 10 seconds. Remove it with a slotted spoon and put it on the platter.
Make all the pooris this way. The first layer on the platter may be covered with a layer of paper towels, and more pooris can then be spread over the top.
Serve the pooris hot (immediately) with chunna curry and sooji ka halwa. You may like to have a touch of mango pickle as well.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 3 of 4 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Wheat + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,373 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Whole-wheat flour
- Gives the poori a nutty flavour and a slightly coarser, more textured crumb.
- All-purpose flour
- Builds the gluten structure that lets the dough stretch and the poori puff.
- Vegetable oil
- Rubbed into the flour, it shortens the dough so the poori stays tender rather than tough.
- Water
- Hydrates the flours so gluten can form a smooth, elastic dough.
The step that matters
Frying the pooris in very hot oil. If the oil is not hot enough, the poori absorbs grease and stays flat and heavy. Hot oil turns the water in the dough to steam instantly, which makes the poori puff.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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