Conference turris::cooks

    Hi, I found this in "A Taste of India" by Madhur Jaffrey. It's a great
    book on Indian cookery, good pictures. I don't know if you can find
    it in a US bookstore...anyway....
    
    2 cups chapati flour (or 1 cup whole wheat and 1 cup unbleached
    all-purpose)
    1/2 tsp salt
    2 tbs veg oil (plus some for the frying)
    1/2 cup water or milk
    
    Combine flour and salt in bowl. Dribble the 2 tbs oil over the top.
    Rub the oil in with your fingers so the mixture resembles coarse
    breadcrumbs. Slowly add the water to form a stiff ball of dough.
    Empty the ball onto a clean work surface. Knead it to 10-12 minutes
    or until it is smooth. Form a ball. Rub about 1/4 tsp of oil on the
    ball, put it in a plastic bag and let it sit for 30 minutes.
    
    Knead the dough again and divide it into 12 equal balls. Keep 11 of 
    them covered while you work with the 12th. Flatten this ball and roll
    it out into a 5-5 1/2 in circle. If you have the space, roll out all
    the pooris and keep them in a single layer, covered with plastic wrap.
    
    Over a medium flame, set about 1 in of oil to heat in a wok, or
    small,deep frying pan. Let it very,very hot. Lift up on 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 and
    let it drain on a paper towel covered platter. Repeat with the next
    poori.
    
    Hope this is what you wanted.....have fun.
    
    -Lee
    

    Make sure that you roll the puris out evenly, or they will not puff up
    nicely all the way across - I am usually in a hurry, and don't bother
    being careful that the dough is of a uniform thickness, so mine usually
    do not inflate evenly.  Of course, they taste the same, but you can't
    stuff your curry inside as easily.  have fun!

    I've never made these (I usually go to the Indian store and buy the
    frozen kind!), but here's a recipe from an Indian cookbook:
    
    8 oz all-purpose flour
    1/2 ts baking powder
    1/2 ts salt
    1 ts sugar
    1 oz fresh (1 cake compressed) yeast
    1 cup milk
    1/4 cup butter or ghee, melted
    1 T poppy seeds
    
    In a large mixing bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and
    sugar.  Blend the yeast with 3 T of the milk.  Warm the remaining milk
    until lukewarm.  Add to the yeast half the melted butter, mix well.
    
    Make a hollow in the center of the flour and gradually pour in the
    yeast mixture, stirring it into the flour until the liquid is absorbed. 
    Knead well for about 15 mins, until the dough is smooth and springy. 
    Add a little more flour if it is sticky.
    
    Cover with a cloth, or put the dough in a lightly oiled plastic bag,
    leave to rise until it has doubled in bulk, about 2 hours at average
    room temp.
    
    Divide the dough into 8 portions and roll each one into a ball with
    floured hands.  Cover the dough with a cloth and leave for about 15
    minutes.
    
    Flatten each ball into a circle.  Brush the tops with melted butter and
    sprinkle with poppy seeds.  Place the rounds of dough on greased baking
    sheets and bake in a hot oven at 450 deg F. for about 10 minutes until
    the bread is puffed up and brown.

    I have made these from the book, and they are wonderful.
    
    If you have an electric wok, you can amaze and delight your friends
    by making the circles and storing them in a sealed container, and then
    just before dinner or a party, heat the oil up until just short of
    smoking and cook them for immediate serving. It's fun to watch, and
    they're most delicious when they're hot and full of live steam.
    Caution is advised when breaking them open.
    
    I understand that cold puris for breakfast ('baahti poori') are very
    popular.