Sunday, August 26, 2007

Poori Mania - Palak/ Spinach Poori with Kala chana and Sooji Halwa



When I saw pooris being blogged on every blog that I visited ...I thought what is all with this poori mania ????........

A little more blog patrolling revealed that Anita of A Mad Tea Party has started this and declared poori - bhaaji as the national food of India. I must say I whole heartily agree with her, but instead of making pooris with bhaaji .....I decided to make poori with the traditional kala chana " black chickpeas" and Sooji halwa , which are my hubby's favorite also.
Traditionally this combination is made at the end of the nine days fasting period called "Nav ratra" in the northern parts of the country .
Pooris have become a rare treat these days with the increased awareness about the HDLs and LDLs ..but this combination is always welcomed in our home and you can serve this for any meal of the day and be rest assured that it will be devoured with much gusto and happiness ;-) . I added palak "spinach" to the poori dough to assuage our guilt about devouring them and also to add a little more taste and color to it.....well here comes my recipe for the same.
Palak Poori ( about 15 )
Wheat flour - 1.5 cups
Palak/ spinach - 1 bunch
Salt - as per taste
Oil - 1 tbsp
Oil for frying
Clean and wash the spinach and then boil it in a pressure cooker with very little water. After 2 whistles , remove the cooker from the stove and cool it under running water . You can also use a microwave for this purpose .Puree the spinach in a blender .
Take the flour in bowl and add the salt. Then add the 1 tb sp oil and rub the flour well between your fingers. Then add the spinach puree to the flour and knead to make soft dough . If the puree is not enough then you can add a little water to prepare the dough. Set the dough aside for 15 mins after covering with a moist cloth.
Pinch out small balls of dough and roll them into small circles with the help of a rolling pin . Deep fry these circles in hot oil . Puffed up delicious pooris are ready !
Sooji Halwa ( for 2 people)
Sooji/ Semolina - 1/2 cup
Besan / Gram flour - 1 tb sp.
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Ghee - 1/3 cup
Cardamom - 2-3
Water - 2 cups
Dry fruits - as per taste
Dry roast the sooji in a pan till it becomes fragrant . Then add the besan/ gram four and stir for a minute . Add the ghee to this mixture and keep stirring continuously . Fry till the time the ingredients become light brown ( some people like the halwa to be whitish or a little pale ...if you like it that ways than you can stop the roasting at that stage , I like mine a little dark in color so I roast it a little longer) . Lower the flame to minimum and add crushed cardamom . Then add the sugar and immediately add the water . Let the mixture simmer at medium flame . Keep stirring continuously till the consistency becomes thick . Take off the stove and garnish with dry fruits of your choice.

18 comments:

Sharmi said...

all are my favorite. what a delicious combination.

Lakshmi said...

Delicious! I loved all three! Spinach pooris (after those mint pooris I made from Ashaji blog) will be on my next to cook list ;))

amna said...

thats a very innovative way you have photographed the poori :)

SPICE OF LIFE said...

hi all ,

Thank you for all the nice comments.
Sharmi! its a very delicious combo ..do try it someday ...worth the effort.
Lakshmi di ! spinach pooris are a sure way of reducing the guilt about gulping down the pooris ;-) ...but jokes apart they are very tasty too .
Nags ! thanks for the comment ...I thought it would be different to not have a puffed poori ..not to mention easier also ..since I could photograph a cold poori also. :-)

amna said...

gald to hear i helped u with ur roommate's mysterious missing recipe :) do try and let me know how it came out!

Chef Jeena said...

Hi there I love your blog! Great pictures :) Lovely recipes feel free to visit my blog too :) Click Here For Food Recipes

Anita said...

And how did I miss this! And that is a combo that is very dear to me too! All the navratra memories come flooding! :-D

SPICE OF LIFE said...

yes Nags ur recipe is on my menu next week :-) I got some raw bananas just for that ..

Jeena I am glad you liked what u saw ..ur blog is real nice too

Anita ... same here ..nav ratra cannot be complete without this combo :-)

Chef Jeena said...

Mmmm looks delicious! Lovely recipe. :)

Kajal said...

WOW.....Healthy puri.........I like your use of spinach in puri….Suji halwa is also looks nice we use milk instead of water. Thanks for sharing next time I made suji halwa with water.:)

Prajusha said...

hi,
palak poori looks delicious.wonderful Combo

Bindiya said...

u know what ,this makes me so nostalgic it is what we used to get for"kanjak" as little girls,great recipe

marriedtoadesi.com said...

This totally reminds me of a meal they would serve at the temple near my parents home in Toronto. Now I realize this is a classic combination!

Kanchana

Manju said...

i had never had a palak poori before...it sounds delicious!! this is gonna be something im gonna try this weekend..

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Shella said...

Poori, Halwa & Chane are a worthwhile combo. I remember, as little girls we used to be invited from house to house during the Navratra pooja & we used to hapily go around in a bunch collecting this as the prasad & of course, loads of coins flowing. ...where are those days gone?? Whenever I see young girls doing this nowadayas I get nostalic & specially this combo gets me remembering those days.

Unknown said...

well thanks for the puris and halwas .. but i was wonderng wot should i put in kala chanae to make it spicy .. should it be more of garam masala or cumin powder or coriander ... which one or wot combinations of spices would be per fect for the appropriate flavor

SPICE OF LIFE said...

Dear Aman,

You can add more garam masala ( that would increase the heat of the dish).