Ajwain Poori (Carom Seeds Indian Puffed bread)

Ajwain Poori, as the name clearly suggests the type of recipe I'm going to share with you today. Pooris are nothing but the Indian Puffed bread deeply fried in hot oil, and Ajwain Pooris are the ones prepared with Caraway/Carom seeds. Ajwain Poori is another version of the regular plain pooris that we normally prepare every weeks or so. There are different varieties of Indian bread that we usually prepare in one way or the other and varying flavors depending on the ingredients used to make it. This recipe that I'm sharing today is the most simple method to make the Ajwain Pooris, the basic methods of making pooris has been kept similar in almost all the poori recipes everywhere else, however, there are certain twists given by different chefs/home cooks in their method of cooking.

The plain pooris/puris are actually said to be a pet name to the Indian breakfast option, how as the very morning on your week off, you get up and ask mamma "Aaj naashte mein kya hain"(what's there for breakfast today?), and then she replies, "Garma garam pooriya tali hain, jaldi se aaja naashte ke table par."(hot pooris are waiting for you, come quickly for the breakfast). No matter what Pooris have been the best of all the snacks and mamma's best friend for the breakfast option, because she does not have to think for a rich and hearty Sunday morning delight, and everyone is happy seeing the small round puffed pooris on the table.

Erstwhile I had been really fussy about the Carom seeds in my early childhood and used to ignore it whenever mamma gave a pinch of it to cure any acidity problems. Until one fine day when I was really tortured with a stomach ache, mamma gave me half spoon of Carom seeds with a pinch of salt in it and asked me to chew it nicely. Well as soon as I ate those seeds, I had a good sleep and then I was completely fine. From then, even till now I keep a small box of Carom seeds on the dining table as and when it may be required. As we Indian prefer to eat heavy oily breakfasts, especially on weekends to make it a bit more special from the rest of the normal days, we do not compromise on preparing some rich breakfasts, but at the same time, we carry the notion of home remedies to overcome any health issues.

Ajwain Poori (Carom Seeds Indian Puffed bread) has very simple ingredients, keeping the Carom seeds as the main ingredient apart from the wheat flour, it is easy to prepare and healthy too. These Ajwain pooris usually come out crisply fried, so there is another name for it, called 'Khasta Ajwain Poori' (Khasta=Crispy, Ajwain=Carom seeds, Poori=Puffed bread). These Ajwain Pooris are delicious, crispy, healthy and is one of the awesome version of pooris and other Indian snacks recipes. Pooris always go best along with Aloo Matar (Aloo=Potato, Matar=Peas), so combine the Ajwain Pooris with Aloo Matar and Lauki ki Sabji (Lauki=bottlegourd), it goes well with pickle too. So check the recipe given below.

Tips: Before heading to the procedure for the 'Ajwain Poori' here are few tips that we need to keep in mind;

1. Use fresh Carom seeds and coarsely powder it.
2. Carom seeds can be roasted, however, unroasted seeds give a different flavor.

[Veg]

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Course: Snacks

Cuisine: Indian

Serves: 4

Yields: 20 pooris

Measuring Items: 1 cup = 150 ml; Teaspoon

Ingredients:

1. Wheat Flour- 200 grams (1 cup)
2. All purpose flour (Maida)- 200 grams (1 cup)
3. Carom seeds- 1.5 tsp
4. Salt- 1 tsp (or as per taste)
5. Refined oil- 2 cups (for frying and preparation)

Method:

How to prepare ‘Ajwain Poori’ with step by step pictures and instructions-

1. Take a rolling pin and board, put Carom seeds on it little by little, roll it over the board and coarsely grind it.
   
2. Take a large bowl for mixing and making the dough. Sieve wheat flour and maida together in the bowl, add the grounded Carom seeds, salt, oil (2 tsp), mix them all together.
   
3. In the meantime warm a can of water for 2 minutes. Slowly add warm water in the flour mixture to make a perfect dough. Cover it for about 15 minutes with a cloth.(dough shouldn't be too stiff)
4. Now roll the dough over the board softly with your palms, and make small balls.
   
5. Start rolling the pooris on the board. Meanwhile, heat oil in a kadhai (cooking wok).
   
6. As the oil starts leaving fume, slide in the pooris and fry them in medium flame. Keep repeating the procedure of rolling the pooris and frying them. (remember to lower the flame when you are busy rolling the pooris)
7. Once the pooris are fried put them in an absorbing tissue paper, and serve them hot.

It is always a benefit of having a helping hand while making pooris, as single-handed needs to shuffle around with rolling and frying the pooris. In my house, I'm usually rolling the pooris, while mamma fries them and other members get busy in eating. Anyways whatever may be the case it's always great to have a company while cooking. Isn't it?

So here you go guys, Ajwain Poori is ready and is a perfect ideal recipe, be it for the breakfasts, lunch or dinner. As pooris are fried in oil, it absorbs a lot of oil in it and of course, we tend to eat that oily poori wholeheartedly. However, Ajwain Pooris serves as a good option for the digestion, and it also absorbs less oil while frying. There are many health benefits associated with Ajwain (Carom) as most of us are widely aware of, as it is the best remedy for stomach problems. Prepare these Ajwain Pooris for your weekends and enjoy cooking, serving and eating!!

Paromita Pramanick ©2018. All Rights Reserved.