Fry a batch of puris at home and they look beautifully puffed for the first few minutes, only to sink and go flat soon after. It is a problem almost every kitchen runs into. Yet the puris served at weddings and family functions, the ones made by professional halwais, stay puffed, crisp and tasty even hours later. So what is it that these cooks do differently? The truth is they pay attention to a handful of small details, and once you follow the same steps, your puris will stay soft and puffed even after they cool down.
It Starts With the Dough
A perfect puri begins with correctly kneaded dough. Puri dough should always be kept a little stiff. If the dough turns out too soft, the puris soak up more oil while frying and deflate quickly. One thing worth doing is adding one or two spoons of semolina (sooji) while kneading. The semolina lends the puris a light crispness and helps them hold their texture for much longer.
How Long Before You Knead
Many people knead their puri dough hours in advance, but this only makes the dough go loose, and the puris then refuse to turn out the way you want. For better results, start rolling the puris just 15 to 20 minutes after kneading the dough. Within this gap the dough stays in the right condition and the puris come out with a far better texture.
Mind the Thickness While Rolling
Do not roll the puri too thick or too thin. A very thin puri struggles to puff up, while a very thick one risks staying raw on the inside. Try to keep the size and thickness of all the puris roughly the same. Evenly rolled puris puff up uniformly when fried.
The Oil Temperature Is the Biggest Secret
The real secret behind well puffed puris lies in getting the oil temperature right. If the oil is not hot enough, the puri starts absorbing oil and will not puff properly. The oil should be hot enough that the puri floats up the instant you drop it in. That said, do not overheat the oil either, because then the puri burns on the outside while staying undercooked within.
A Small Trick While Frying
The moment the puri goes into the hot oil, press down on it gently with a slotted ladle. This pushes the hot oil over the top of the puri and makes it puff up fast. Once the puri has fully puffed, flip it over and fry the other side until golden. One more tip: many halwais mix a little semolina or a spoon of hot oil into the dough itself. This makes the puris extra crisp and keeps them crunchy for a long time.
