Let’s begin with kneading the flour first. For that, take a large bowl, and add wheat flour, cumin, red chilli powder, salt and oil. Mix well.

The purpose is to mix dough with oil nicely (moyan). This is a key step to have puffed up poori.

Next, add the water little by little and knead the dough.

The kneaded dough must be smooth but tight. Apply oil all over, cover and rest the dough at room temperature.

Before making poori, knead the puri/poori dough once again for a couple of minutes until it is smooth.

Take a tiny portion from the poori dough, roll it between your palms to make it round ball, gently press it in between your palms.

Next roll this in dry dough, shake off the excess and start to roll with rolling pin into a small circular shape. Do not roll them too thick or too thin.

Heat oil preferably sunflower oil or rice bran oil on a high flame. These oils will not smoke easily.

Once it’s hot, gently hold the poori vertically above the kadhai and slip it into the oil from one side.

Press the corner of poori lightly with a slotted spatula or a skimmer. Keep splashing hot oil over poori and it will immediately start to puff out.

Then flip the poori other side and fry until it becomes golden brown on both sides.

Deep frying of poori

Or if you have someone to help, you can fry them as and when they are rolled out.