August 16, 2007

POORI-ALOO BHAJI AND DILL VADAS

Anita from "A Mad Tea Party" blog posted her own Poori-bhaji combo last week and wrote this about it. She asked us to make our own style Poori-Bhaji for a Poori bhaji party, write about our own memories etc and make a post for a quick round up. I thought okay then,why not!! I am not scared of frying in HOT Summer!!;D
(Oh before I forget, I have to tell you I almost had a heat stroke frying on the deck although it was relatively cooler (about 90F) in the evening in NC!:P)

Well..I don't have any particular story to tell about Poori Bhaji but this combo has always been a favorite of mine.Nothing like crispy ,fluffy Pooris with tangy, spicy yellowish red Aloo matar bhaji! YUM!! My mother usually cooked these once or twice a week for breakfast in India when we were kids, we loved it! Now that we moved here from India many many yrs ago, we no longer eat Indian style breakfast. Hubby and kids are out of the house before 7.30am and they are too happy to grab some OJ, Muffins, coffee etc on the way out!
But I do love to make these once or twice a month for dinner on the weekends and enjoy them. My kids don't like "greasy" Pooris much but they like eating the Bhaji stuffed between thick toasted sour bread slices like sandwiches! For me, Poori-Bhaji is the most satisfying meal associated with childhood memories, a trip to India without the air tickets!!:D

Here is my plate of Poori-Aloo matar Bhaji:
Fluffy fried bread with potato,green peas spicy gravy with tomatoes.If you want yellow potato gravy, skip tomatoes and red chilli pd!I have too many Tomatoes right now,you see them everywhere in my dishes!:D

For people who don't know, "Poori" is a deep fried flat bread somewhat like Native American fried bread. Wheat or plain flour kneaded with salt and water, rolled out into circles and deep fried in hot oil until they puff up like balloons! Bhaji is usually made of spices and Potatoes with other vegetables added with a thickish gravy. In Indian homes, Poori-Bhajis are always considered as a special and quick meal to serve to expected or unexpected guests to make them feel welcomed!

Let's make delicious Aloo Matar Tamater Bhaji!


Ingredients you need to make the Bhaji:
2 large Red Potatoes,peeled and cubed, 3 plum Tomatoes cubed,1 cup frozen or fresh Petit Greenpeas.
Chop these: 1/2 large onion, 2 garlic, 1/2" ginger, 2 green chillies,a small bunch Cilantro.
To powder: 2 tsp Coriander seeds, 4 cloves, 1 Cardamom, seeded.(No need to toast them)Add 1/4 tsp chilli pd, salt , 1/8 tsp turmeric and 2 tbsp plain yogurt.
For seasoning: 1 tsp butter and 1 tsp oil, 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds, 1 tsp Cumin seeds,few curry leaves (optional).

Click on all the images to enlarge if you like to see the step by step more clearly:

To make Bhaji:
1. Heat oil/butter in a non-stick pan,add mustard seeds, cumin seeds.When they splutter,add onion,green chillies, soften them for 2 minutes.Put in ginger and garlic,stir for a minute.
2. Add potatoes,saute until half cooked.Add in Greenpeas, Tomatoes,all the powdered spices,cilantro,yogurt,salt,chilli pd, mix well.
3. Pour in 1 cup of water,mix, cover and simmer until fully cooked.Uncover,let it get a semi-thick with gravy.If too thick,add a little water.
4. Your bhaji is ready when little oil shows up on top. Get ready to fry some Pooris now!!:)

Whole Wheat Pooris:
To make them little healthier,I use the Whole wheat flour we get in the US grocery stores which has more fiber than Indian atta or plain flour and gives them a great reddish brown color,absorbs less oil!

They are supposed to look fluffy like these,a little tricky to achieve but doable.They do deflate after a while. They are best served as soon as they are made! I will reveal my secrets for fluffy fragrant Pooris now! ;D

You need:

1 cup whole Wheat flour (US style), 1/4 cup white or wheat bread flour , 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp Anise seed powder, and enough water to mix and knead to a stiff dough(must not be soft,they will not puff!), divide into golf ball size portions.Cover and let it rest for at least 1/2 an hour for the gluten to develop in the flour.Heat the deep fryer to 350F. I use electric fryer.
Note: you can use 1 1/2 cup Indian atta or just plain flour and add 2 tbsp plain yogurt to make Pooris)
To make them:
1. Take a ball, roll out to a 1/8" thick 4-6" circles.I use a 4" cookie cutter to cut the circles.Cover them with kitchen towels so they do not dry up.
2. Drop a circle in the oil carefully,with a colander,swirl the oil and hold down the Poori under the oil gently.As it puffs, let it go.You can carefully splash some oil on it to help it to puff.Flip the Poori and cook the other side to a golden color.
3. Drain on the paper towel and repeat with others.Using bread flour makes them stay puffed for longer time than Plain flour, but they do eventually deflate. That's why you eat them when they are fresh!:)
For step by step photos of how to make Pooris with plain flour, click here.

Enjoy!!:))

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You must be wondering what's going on and why these Dill vadas are hanging out here?!:D
Well...I was planning to make Pooris and then I saw this new event being launched by Hima. So, I decided to fry a snack as well for us while the oil is hot. I do deserve a heat stroke now, don't I?! Hahaha!!


Dill Vadas with coconut mint chutney are my second favorite snack(Most fave is coming at FH later!) and I am sending these to Hima from "SnackORama" blog!! She asks "What's your favorite snack?"this month and here is mine! She has started a new event and she gives us a theme for each month, so we can tell her what's our favorite dish! Sounds great,thanks Hima!:))



Dill Vadas:


Here is how I made them:
1. Mix all these: 1/4 cup each of Semolina (cream of wheat), Rice flour, 1/4 cup or more Besan (Gram/chickpea flour,add little more besan if you find the dough not sticky enough to to make the patties),2 tbsp hot canola oil,salt to taste, 1 tsp red dry chilli flakes or 2-3 green chillies, 1 tsp crushed cumin seeds, 1/2 small onion very finely minced, 1/4 cup chopped Dill leaves, 1/8 tsp baking soda,1 tbsp minced cilantro.
2. Add just enough water, 1 tbsp at a time, to make a stiff dough.Cover and let it rest for half an hour.Semolina swells when wet after sometimes of resting, making the dough stiffer,so use your judgment when making the dough how much water to add. Heat oil to 350F.
3. Take a large walnut sized lump or bigger if you want to speed up the process quickly,put it on your left palm (wet your palm with little water) press it flat gently with your right hand fingers to make a 1/2" thick patties.Slide them into the oil as soon as you make them.
4. Fry until golden both sides and serve with spicy coconut-mint chutney.

Have a fun weekend! I will see you all in your blogs on Tuesday. We will be at the beach from Friday to Monday, a little getaway before the school starts!:)

63 comments:

Anonymous said...

There are as many alu-bhaji versions as there are cooks! Thanks for sharing your deep-fried loves with us. (the slide show was a little distracting - esp. the zucchini salad - will have to go back for that!).

Good to have you at the party!

Sia said...

LOL... no wonder u got heat storke...frying not just poories but also vada. he he he...
i had my lunch just few hrs back and thought poori bhaji is not gonna tempt me now. what was i thinking!!! i desperately want that plate ashakka.. for dinner its leftover mexican rice for us:(
and boy!!! kids eat this bhaji with bun??? u can send their share of poori to me;)
have a gr8 vacation ashakka. (i wont be surprised if u try to take a sneak peak @blogs when u away on vac;)

Arts said...

Perfect puris.. and the aalo matar tamatar is uuh-la-la!! :D
Have never heard of dill wadas though :( seem to be medu wadas made frm semolina instead.. wll surely try these.. and abt ur first favourite snack... is it sme chaat item?? :)
btw, with so many events coming up, i just made a timeline of when to post what.. Sept booked as well.. done worry.. have some space for rci karnataka as well :)

Anonymous said...

I too made poori-bhaji and they were gone and no time to take some pics.And those wadis r looking great.wait poori baji is looking very nice.

Aruna said...

Asha, Poori-Bhaji looks soo yummmm... & the vadas look delicious!!!

themistressspices.wordpress.com

Laavanya said...

All these Poori-Bhajis everywhere are trying to derail my attempt to resist. I like tomato in the bhaji but Arun not a big fan.. yours looks really yummy. Whole wheat is good but I like the elasticity in the plain flour puris. You see how I have a very unhealthy version floating in my mind that's why I'm trying hard not to make them. :)
The dill vadas seem pretty instant - no grinding etc. and delicious too.
Have a great time at the beach.

Anonymous said...

wow asha , the dill wadas with spicy coconut mint chutney .....very mouth watering :D

Tee said...

Everything looks delish! You are brave to fry in such hot weather;)Dill vadas are going down in my bookmarks. Have a great weekend!

Saju said...

love your poori-aloo and peas bhajis. Looks so inviting. The dill vadas are looking amazing, I haven't tried them before, will be using this recipe.

FH said...

HeHe!! Anita Zucchini salad is a good one at FH,hope you try!
Thanks for encouraging me, I loved making and eating these. Cheers!:)

Sia, Arvind doesn't like the smell of frying in the house bcos it gets stuck inthe curtains etc.So I waited until almost 6pm to fry outside.My face was like Butternut squash red after I was done! Phew!:D
I try not to peek this time except for moderating the comments this weekend,!I have only 3 days of beach,so I'll soak in the Ocean! I wish I could send you some pooris though!:))

FH said...

Arts,my first fave is a Coorgi style Pakoda, coming up at FH for RCI.
There are so many events now,I will have to post two at time!:D
Medu Vada/Uddin vada are made Urad dal,isn't it? This is almost like Maddur vada we make in Mysore with different proportion of flours.Thank God you have space for my RCI girl!:D

LOL! Ramya, you are confused now. Poori or vada, vada or poori!!;D
Poori bhaji is the comfort food, apart from Masala dosa! Oh, don't remind me,I can't cook anything for 4 days now!:)

FH said...

Thanks Aruna.I love that there are so many bhaji recipes for this party and still they are all different!:)

Hahaha!! Laavanya, I don't mind eating the any kind of Pooris, even whole wheat gets fried any way but in this heat my hubby makes me fry outside!;D
Vadas are just flour mix,so it's quick to make after 15-20mins of resting the dough!:)

FH said...

You said it Rahin! What more you do you want, right? Oh wait! They taste even better in little cold weather and raining!!I haven't seen the rain in 10days here!;D

Tee, believe me! I had to lie down under the fan (with 76F AC inside!) on the carpet for 1/2 an hour after all that frying on the deck. I am much more than brave, little stupido perhaps! Hahaha!!
But it's all worth it when we ate them!:)

Ashwini said...

I am so glad to see dill in this post! That green is too maligned. Good idea btw - add besan and everything taste great ;-)

FH said...

Saju,dill vadas are so tasty, hope you do try.You can use different proportions of flours too like more Besan etc. Enjoy.Fry inside unlike me!:D

Ashwini, we use Sapseege soppu/Dill leaves in B'lore routinely in sambhars, Pakodas, vadas etc. I don't know why many people don't know about it and don't use it. I just love the flavor of Dill, specially with greenbeans and Tuar dal Saaru.I have posted one at FH too.Enjoy:)

TBC said...

Another poori part! Yay!
I have never heard of dill wadas before.

Anonymous said...

Hi Asha
everything is looking nice and delicious.i thought u had prepared dill vadas using channadal seeing the pictures.will try ur version

Shalini

Manasi said...

Allright!!! Puri - bhaji!! love the combo!!! If ur kids dont want the poori's , I'll take them, with the bhaji and the vadas!! YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!! I hope I can make the puri - bhaji this weekend!

sra said...

Most poori bhajis looked yellow till now - yours is different. At home, we like tangy tomato curry with puri - we eat the potato curry accompaniment only in restaurants.

Suganya said...

Hi Asha...Ur poori is looking perfect.....Dill vadas is new to me.....never tried before... Excellent set of recipes.....GREAT!...

FH said...

tbc, many people don't know about dill which surprises me. Try and get some dill.It's really tasty even in Sambhar.Some don't like the smell of dill,I love it in Pakodas too!:))

Shalini, yeah. I made Chana dal vadas with dill too,it's in FH post. This is different with flours instead of dal.It's tasty either way!:)

Richa said...

hey, puri bhaji looks so gooood! i'm ready for that anytime :) freshly ground spices taste so good. u almost got a heat stroke?? the lengths we go for blogging ;)
anyway have fun, u sure not taking the laptop to the beach heh!heh!

FH said...

Hahaha!! Manasi, I love the combo too.I would gladly send them to you! These kids of mine has too many "issues"!!:D Anita still collecting the Poori-Bhaji posts until 19th,make some!:)

It's true sra! I have only seen yellow bhajis so far in the restaurants with Pooris.I make dry yellow bhaji too like masal dosa filling.But this bhaji tastes the best with Poori!:)

Sharmi said...

lovely looking poori and bhaji. the dill vadas also look so nice. lot of frying done there:) that too in the summer!!

Anonymous said...

Hi Asha,

I am a frequent visitor to both Foodie's hope and Aroma. What a great spread of recipes?!!! Your dedication to food blogging just amazes me! Great job!

Sudha

FH said...

Thank you Sukanya! I haven't made this combo in a while.Glad I did although frying outside was brutal!:D

Richa, my kids are already packed their Laptops!!Hee Hee! But I really really try not to log on except for moderating comments quickly at night!:D
I know! Look at all these events on the sidebar popping up and I still try and get in to everything!! Crazy!!:P

FH said...

Blame Anita and Hima Sharmi!! I was not planning to make these!!Hahaha!
But they taste so good, I didn't mind at all.I will eat my salads for a week now!!;)

Thank you Sudha!:)
Great to hear that just before I take a short break. It's the readers like you and their comments which help us to get encouraged and blog while having some harmless fun ourseleves too.Glad you said that,I appreciate it!:))

Pravs said...

luv poori with aloo bhaji..but i seldom make it..thinking of all the oil that will be consumed. Dill vada is a new one for me...asha, you are great.. so many recipe you come up with...cheers to you !

FH said...

Thank you Pravs!:)
I feel the same way! I want to eat Pooris and looking at all the oil makes me put off.Once a month or so would be fine but I know some families make them every other day like rotis in India! OYY!!:D
Have a great weekend girl,hugs.

Roopa (KitchenAromas) said...

Pooris everywhere! Now, I am just plain tired of drooling and dreaming of sinking my teeth into some hot poori bhaji! Using WW US style is new to me. How beautiful the pooris look A! Wonderful!

Lata said...

I am craving for Pooris now. I don't know the deadline and all, will try to make some. But, as Sia said it is v hot outside and I guess we will sweat in kitchen.

Viji said...

wowww Asha the puri,bhaji and the vada looks very tempting.I love to sit back and rest and somebody serve such a dish to me.which will never happen unless we go back home to our mother rt?:-)

Anonymous said...

You are more than welcome Asha. You deserve it!! Have a wonderful trip!

Sudha

Priyanka said...

Wow Asha... the dill vadis are so yummy. And the puri-bhaji looks so satisfying... its been ages since i made them.

FH said...

Thank you Roopa! I felt the same way looking at Anita's and others Poori and Bhajis.Made it, needed an excuse of course!:D

Lata, you can send it until the 19th,so still got time!:)
I know! It is so HOT, Raleigh had 100F for 3-4 days!! I am crazy, I thought it will be cooler in the evening undert he deck umbrella ,didn't expect the humidity!;P

FH said...

Right Viji!!:D
Don't I wish somebody serve me that way? Ah!! Bliss!:)
But no chance of that here, got to cook and clean ourselves!:D

Thanks again darling. Have a great weekend Sudha.I will see you next week, if you come back!:))

Priyanka, same here.I made Luchis for RCI,that's about it.I don't remember making Poori-Bhaji in a long time!:)
Feels great to eat it, thanks to Anita. Have a fun weekend. See you next week.

Anh said...

Asha, bring the tomatoes on! I love that stuff! :D

And I just cant take my eyes of your dishses, again! Really love all of them!

FH said...

Anh, I used to feel that way until last week about Tomatoes!! Now I am ready give them up!;D
This summer it's so hot, the plants are loving it.
Thanks girl, enjoy.Have a great weekend, see you next week:)

Seema Bhat said...

Ashakka,
Poori and bhaji is an ultimate combo. My dad used to like poori with ksheera and the rest of us used to like poori with bhaji...so poor amma had to make both to satisfy her family. Hee hee.

Anonymous said...

Ashaji......that was a tempting pic....oh..my..I am hungry now...my hubby and sunny love poori so I make them almost once a week, bhaji is always saagu the one you made for idli! They love that combo! Dill vadas are inviting..wanted to snatch them away from pics...Have good vacation....enjoy madi! Btw I will be announcing a new food event very soon......so do come back to my blog after you are back from your vacation..

archana said...

Oh how I wish I could dip those puris in the aloo.Puris are banned in my house for health reason :)
Dill wadas looking nice. New recipe for me :)

Roopa said...

wow, aloo puri my favorite :) i am tempted they look so good. yummy dill vadas too i add to masala vadas, they taste great with anything alva. i made holige yesterday for shravana will blog sometime no time now even to check the blogs :) bye

bee said...

i was thinking the same thing. american whole wheat flour would be perfect for puris. enjoy your vacation.

FH said...

Seema, I know some people in Dharwad eat Pooris for breakfast with Ksheera and Shrikhanda too!
Your dad sounds like a sweet guy in every way!Good work for mum in the morning!:)

OH NO!! Lakshmi, you too!!;D
I will check your blog on Tuesday after I am done with my load of vacation laundry!Hahaha!
For Kannadigas,nothing beats Poori-Sagu. Just saying that makes me want to make it! Have a fun weekend L! Hugs.

FH said...

Archana, wish somebody would invent baked Pooris which tastes as good as fried ones!!I would be the first one to make them that way!:D
Yeah, they are oily but tastes so good,I started craving now for some!:)

Roopa, same as Masale vade but with flours to make it easier! Supseege soppu adds to the flavor.
Naanu Obbattu madi varshane aaytu.Yavagaladru madbeku.Naanu vapas banda mele nim Obbattu nodteeni. Take it easy there Roopa, don't work too hard.Hugs:)

Coffee said...

hahaha yeah! its raining tomatoes in your kitchen it seems ;P
Puri's are a perfect circle! and that aloo bhaji is fantastic!! No puri bhaji from me :( Hubby is travelling and I don't want to make it just for myself! Can I come over to yours ;)

FH said...

Bee, you missed the Lychee shanty cooler with Beer I made for Sig, it was yummy!:)
Yeah, US whole wheat has lot of fiber in them. Makes the Poori not as soft as Maida or Atta ones but I think they make it tastier.I found that it absorbs lot less oily too as you can see in pics.Strange bcos it has more fiber than the plain flour.
Thanks, I will see you all on Tuesday!:)

FH said...

And I am getting little tired of Tomatoes right now Coffee!:D
Arvind was in Philadelphia yesterday too, we ate freezer food for two days.These were made Monday.
Yeah, you can come over here right now but to the empty house!!;D
See you next week sweet girl,will miss ya!:)

Pragyan said...

Hi Asha, Yummy puri-aloo bhaji. I want some! I want some! Do I make your Naan recipe or your Puri Aloo Bhaji? So confused! Maybe I will make them both ;) hee hee Adding Anise pd./yogurt to the Puri dough is a great idea.

Manasi said...

hi ASha!! Wanted to share an award with u! Oh I know u hv recvd one, but I truly wanted to share this onour with u! A small way of saying Thank u for being the wonderful blogger and person!!

sunita said...

My favourite poori-bhaji...you've really got me craving for some now.

FH said...

Hi P, yeah! It's confusing which one to make first!!:D
One at a time girl.Poori Bhaji is my fave too although I don't make them often.Enjoy:))

Manasi, you sweet girl! Thank you so much!My biggest award is having friends like you!:) I appreciate it. Love you, see you next week. Hugs:))

Hi Sunita, I know! When I saw Anita's Poori bhaji,I just couldn't resist myself making them!:D
Enjoy your Poori bhaji:)

SeeC said...

Pooris are really tempting asha. Very perfect. It is really an art to get this way.

Crispy vadas are really tempting.

Pictures are simply Superb

Reeta Skeeter said...

I hv my aloo bhaaji version too.. not one but two.. but I prefer not to write about step-by-step cooking.. though I admire the efforts made by you and anita to do so...And what I love about your blogs, Asha, is the fact that you stack up all the ingredients so artistically, before starting to cook... Awesome! Love You for that!

FH said...

Thank you Seec. Pooris made of plain flour deflate quickly, so I add a little bread flour.It stays puffed a little longer. Enjoy:)

Thank you Reeta, great to see you here too.Most people don't know about this blog unless they see in the events!Give me your bhaji recipes too, you don't have to write step by step, just write in few sentences!:)
People are too conscious of calories and all these days, a little too much if you ask me!!I enjoy these once a month or so and love to eat too!:))

Anonymous said...

Hey Asha, The puri bhaji is so tempting and thanks for your entry for WFY-Snacks.

Raaga said...

It is lunch time here and I am hungry now. :-) I'll sneak in to your house while you're at the beach :-) and clean yur freezer. Yummy.

FH said...

Hi Hima, thank you and you are welcome!:))
Enjoy.

LOL!! Raaga, okay. After you are done ,wash the dishes and fly back before I come back!! ;D
How was the Himalaya trip? We are still at beach enjoying every minute, will be back soon!:)

Latha Narasimhan said...

Nice vadas asha!

neroli said...

Dear Asha, I came here from Anita's poori party, and felt so welcomed by the sight of your lovely poori-bahji---and then to find the dill vadas, too!
My goodness, you know how to treat your guests :)!
Thank you so much for your lovely post.

FH said...

Thank you Latha. Something quick and easy!:)

Hi Neroli,great to see you at Aroma, you are very welcome here!:))
This is what you get in both og blogs, multiple recipes!Hahaha!!
Enjoy.

SMN said...

Hey asha, really nice recipes.. sorry cudnt drop in.. very nice recipes..

FH said...

Hi SMN, good to see you!:)
Thanks, hoe to see you at Foodie's hope too, I will announce RCI K'taka tomorrow.