There's something about puris and parathas that restore our faith in humanity. We may be exaggerating a bit here, but think about the last time you were left with tonnes of left-overs and felt miserable to just toss it away? Did you not once think about making fresh and hot puris to pair them with the sabzi from previous night, or better still, use the sabzi as stuffing for the puri? For the uninitiated, puris are small flatbreads that scream indulgence. Unlike roti or paratha, it is not roasted on a tawa. Unlike naans, it is not thrown in a tandoor, but it is deep-fried in oil and allowed to fluff-up until crisp. Puris can be of many kinds, big of small, plain or stuffed. People also use a variety of flours to make puris, out of which atta puris and maida puris are most popular ones. Puris are usually served with savoury curries or bhajis. Sometimes they also make a hearty pair with desserts such as halwa, kheer, shrikhand, aamras et al.
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Since puris are so decadent, they are mostly prepared for breakfast or special occasions and festivities. However, no one has ever said that you cannot eat puris without an occasion. This recipe of gobhi puri is so easy that you would find yourself making it again, and again.
Puris can be of many kinds
This stuffed puri is atta-based, but you can choose a flour of your liking. This puri is stuffed with a special cauliflower and green chilli mixture that is nothing short of a sensation. It is made much like your gobhi parathas, but they are fried deep in oil and are also much more vibrant looking due to the addition of turmeric.
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The gobhi stuffing also has crushed peanuts for that extra crunch. Peanuts are completely optional - if you do not like them, you can rule them out. You can make your own addition to the stuffing, but make sure you do not go overboard. A very thick and loaded stuffing may result on broken puris.
These puris are perfect to be consumed as is but you can also pair them with dahi, pickle or any curry of your liking.
Puris are deep-fried flatbreads
Here's a recipe of gobhi puri that you can try at home. And do let us know how you like it.