Dal Puri*

Dal Puri is stuffed channa dal (dehusked, split, Indian chickpea) fried flatbread. This recipe is must have for all special occasions in Bihar and Jharkhand, meaning made during celebration for new baby, for new bride joining her in-laws family. This is served with Rice pudding (Kheer) and spicy vegetable curry (Potatoes, Cauliflower, green gourd, etc). This is not a simple recipe and frying the puri take time.

Ingredients

1/2 cup Channa dal throughly washed & rinsed

1 cup Water

salt as per taste

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 inch ginger grated

1-2 green chilies chopped

1 teaspoon ghee (clarified butter)

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup water

Any vegetable/ no flavour oil for frying

Method

Make a dough of whole wheat flour using water. Note: I don’t add anything like oil, salt, soda, or any seed etc in the dough. My dough is same as for Roti, plain paratha.

Cook the dal in a pressure cooker with just enough water, salt and turmeric (usually 3-4 whistles, 10 minutes) till kernels are well cooked. Note: If you are not sure about “enough” water, cook like normal dal, and decant the extra water. Use the water to make your dough.

Take a wok, add ghee, once hot, add chopped green chilies and grated ginger, then add cooked dal. Mash it nicely, with continuous stirring let all water evaporate. The filling will look something like this

Let the ready filling cool down sufficiently. Now take dough for one puri, roll into 2-3 inch round, put filling in the center, seal from all sides and flatten again. Since, this will be fried, do Not make it too thin while rolling, as soon as you see filling being visible, stop. In the pic below, lot of dusting flour is seen, instead of dusting flour, use oil to roll it, else dusting flour turns black during frying

Heat a wok with sufficient oil to dip one puri, once oil is hot, deep fry the puri from both side, note: unlike plain puri & bhatura, this puri will not rise so much