Today is the final day of my week-long series on Indian states. For the last post I chose a simple, crunchy savoury from Gujarat: Farsi Puri. These flaky, crisp round puris are perfect with tea or coffee. Made with maida (all-purpose flour), the technique is similar to making chiroti, producing delicate layered discs that fry up light and crisp.
My plan was to make the puris earlier in the day and publish around noon, but the day turned busy. I ended up preparing them in the evening and only started drafting this post late at night. Still, the recipe is up today — and tomorrow is a holiday, so there will be time for an outing and a new theme on Sunday. Until then, enjoy the pictures and the recipe.
Ingredients:
Maida / All-purpose flour — 1 cup
Salt — to taste
Cumin seeds — 1 tsp
Ajwain (carom) seeds — 1 tsp
Black pepper powder — 1 tsp
Oil — for deep frying
Procedure:
1. In a bowl, combine the flour, salt, black pepper powder, cumin and ajwain.
2. Add enough water to form a stiff dough. Knead briefly until smooth.
3. Cover and set the dough aside for about 30 minutes.
4. Heat oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat.
5. Divide the dough into lemon-sized balls.
6. Roll each ball into a thin disc.
7. Brush or spread a few drops of oil evenly over the disc.
8. Roll the disc tightly into a log, then cut the log into 1/2″ wide slices.
9. Press each slice gently to form a thin disc again — this creates the layered texture.
10. Deep fry the discs in batches on medium heat until they turn golden and the sizzling noise subsides.
11. Drain on paper towels and transfer to a plate to cool.
12. Once completely cool, store the Farsi puris in an airtight jar to retain their crispness.
The method is straightforward and yields light, flaky puris that keep well. These make a great tea-time snack or a crunchy addition to snack mixes. If you prefer a more aromatic version, you can add a pinch of crushed fennel or a little sesame for variation, but the basic combination of cumin, ajwain and black pepper gives a classic Gujarati flavour.
Farsi Puri Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Maida / All purpose flour – 1 cup
- Salt – to taste
- Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
- Ajwain seeds – 1 tsp
- Black pepper powder – 1 tsp
- Oil – for deep frying
Instructions
Procedure
-
Mix flour, salt, black pepper, cumin and ajwain in a bowl.
-
Add water to form a stiff dough and knead briefly.
-
Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
-
Heat oil in a deep pan over medium heat.
-
Divide into lemon-sized balls and roll each into a thin disc.
-
Brush with a few drops of oil, roll into a tight log and slice into 1/2″ pieces.
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Press each slice into a thin disc and deep fry until golden and the sizzling subsides.
-
Drain on paper towels, let cool, then store in an airtight jar.