details
4 servings
15 minutes
20 minutes
Easy
Fiji puri is a very simple and yummy side dish to accompany your any curries – vegetarian or non-vegetarian dishes. It is often paired with kaddu (stir fried pumpkin) or with kheer (rice and milk pudding). And, it is loved by many when eaten with Fiji style chicken curry.
What can you eat with puri?
There are many side dishes you can enjoy when it comes to Fiji-Indian food such as rice, dosa and roti. But, if you’ve got a special occasion coming up or have to feed a lot of people at a function you are hosting at home, puri may be the better choice. Puri is often made during Fiji-Indian weddings and served with a variety of vegetarian dishes as it can be quickly made in bulk and is so yummy.
Extras that can be added to classic Fiji puri recipe
Our recipe below adds subtle ingredients (non-traditional for puri) such as yoghurt, sugar and cumin seeds. And if you prefer plain puri, just leave out these ingredients. Yoghurt is added as it has been known to reduce the amount of oil the dough soaks up when frying. Cumins add a lovely aesthetic look to the puris as well as add a depth of flavour – as does the sugar. Ultimately, it is your choice to add these extra ingredients and are non-essential to making the perfect puri.
Perfecting the dough
Making the dough is similar to that of Fiji roti – that is, use boiling water to make dough with flour. However, some people do swear by using room temperature water. We have personally found boiling water to be the best option for a soft and springy dough.
Deep frying the puri
One thing to remember when frying the puri is to always have the oil on deep frying temperature which is 180degrees celsius. f your oil isn’t hot enough, your puri will be tough and will soak up too much oil. An old method to test the heat is to feel the warmth of the oil with the back of your hand. Or a safer method is to dip a wooden spoon into the hot oil. If bubbles form, the oil is ready for deep frying.
Step by step video
Watch the video below for a step by step video recipe.
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Ingredients
4 Cups White Flour
1 Litre Boiling Water
1 Tbsp Yoghurt (Dahi)
1 Tbsp Cumin Seeds (Jeera)
1 Tsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Oil
Directions
- Bring water to the boil. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, add flour, yoghurt, sugar and cumin seeds.
- Then add the boiling water to the flour bowl gradually (don’t add all at once to prevent dough from getting too sticky). Mix well
- Knead the dough using the oil till it is smooth
- Divide the dough into approximately 45g balls (or half the size of a roti). Press down firmly and dust with flour to prevent sticking. Do this for all the balls and add to a separate bowl
- Dust the rolling board and roll out the puri dough to a thickness of about 3mm
- Place baking paper on the table and lay out rolled puri on this to prevent sticking. Roll out all the dough
- Heat oil for deep frying up to 180 degrees celsius. Gently slide the puri into the hot oil and press down gently with a spoon to allow puri to inflate
- Flip over puri to cook on the other side. Cook till both sides become golden in colour
- Drain oil if there is excess with a paper towel
- Serve warm or at room temperature with vegetarian or non-veg meals.
