New addition to my pantry, buckwheat flour…
If you haven’t heard of buckwheat then you might be thinking how can buckwheat be gluten free. I had the same thought too when I first heard the name buckwheat. Well, the name is quite misleading and is ironic as it doesn’t have wheat and is completely gluten free. Btw, who named it as buckwheat???
If I say I am crazy about grocery shopping you would think that I am a really crazy person, I think I am a bit crazy and I really enjoy shopping at Bulk barn. Bulk barn is Canada’s largest bulk food retailer and they have almost all the ingredients that you can think of. You name it and they will have it. This store is a true blessing to my husband as a variety of gluten free products are available. Had it not been for this store it would have been very hard for me to cook gluten free dishes. They have all kinds of flour, nuts, candies, snacks, tea, coffee etc. Every time I shop there, I make sure to buy something different that I have not tried before. This time, I bought buckwheat flour and I was very happy to find that it is gluten free. I felt even more happier to learn that buckwheat can be used for making poori or fried flat bread.
It’s been so very long since my hubby had poori as it’s mostly made with wheat flour and I seldom make it for myself. Poori along with any curries taste delicious, no matter whether it’s non-veg or veg curries. Have poori with chicken curry or mutton curry or beef roast or veggie korma or egg roast or potato curry, each combination tastes just delicious.
Poori hold some fond memories of my childhood, my dad used to take us to the restaurant during weekends and we always ordered poori and veggie korma along with a cup of filtered coffee. Little happy moments that I had with my family.
After I bought buckwheat, I rushed home to make pooris and to enjoy with my man. I adopted this recipe from an Indian cooking show, it’s totally different from making the regular pooris. In this mashed potatoes are added to the flour and it’s kneaded into a dough and fried. While for making pooris using wheat flour, water is added to knead the dough.
Since mashed potatoes are added, while frying the poori the whole house would smell like french fries, now that’s a bonus.
Buckwheat flour is grey in color. Buckwheat is not a cereal grain, it’s a fruit seed.
Buckwheat Poori
Makes: 20
Ingredients
- Buckwheat flour- 1 cup
- Potatoes, cooked and mashed- 2 large
- Garam masala- 1 tsp (optional)
- Salt- to taste
- Water- 1 to 2 tbsp if needed
- Oil- enough for frying
Instruction
- Cook the potatoes in a microwave or in boiling water till it’s fork tender and mash it without any lumps.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, garam masala and salt.
- You could add any kind of dried herbs or seasonings.
- Add the mashed potatoes and knead it well to a soft dough constituency.
- At first it would be sticky, as you knead it will get easier and the dough will get soft.
- If the dough is dry add 1 to 2 tbsp of water and knead well, keep aside for 10 minutes.
- If you have poori maker or tortilla maker, flatten the dough in it or roll it using a pin.
- Make very small balls out of the dough.
- To prevent the dough from sticking while rolling, roll the dough over ziploc bags or plastic sheets.
- Cut the ziploc bag into two or use plastic sheets.
- Place one of the sheets on the board or a flat surface, spray with non stick cooking oil.
- Place the dough ball on it and cover it with another plastic sheet.
- Using a rolling pin, gently roll the dough over the plastic sheet to a round shape of medium thickness.
- Don’t roll it too thin and it should be a small round.
- Heat a frying pan and add enough oil for frying, let the oil turn hot.
- To test if the oil is hot enough: drop a small piece of dough into the oil, if it fries up and floats on the oil immediately, the oil is ready to fry.
- Carefully drop the rolled dough into the oil.
- Let the bottom side puff up a bit, turn to the other side using a slotted spoon.
- Gently press the sides of the poori, this will make the poori to puff up.
- When the poori has turned light golden in color, remove using the slotted spoon and place it on a paper towel.
- This poori wouldn’t puff up like the pooris made with wheat flour.
- Serve warm with any kinds of curries.
- Buckwheat flour- 1 cup
- Potatoes, cooked and mashed- 2 large
- Garam masala- 1 tsp (optional)
- Salt- to taste
- Water- 1 to 2 tbsp if needed
- Oil- enough for frying
- Cook the potatoes in a microwave or in boiling water till it's fork tender and mash it without any lumps.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, garam masala and salt.
- You could add any kind of dried herbs or seasonings.
- Add the mashed potatoes and knead it well to a soft dough constituency.
- At first it would be sticky, as you knead it will get easier and the dough will get soft.
- If the dough is dry add 1 to 2 tbsp of water and knead well, keep aside for 10 minutes.
- If you have poori maker or tortilla maker, flatten the dough in it or roll it using a pin.
- Make very small balls out of the dough.
- To prevent the dough from sticking while rolling, roll the dough over ziploc bags or plastic sheets.
- Cut the ziploc bag into two or use plastic sheets.
- Place one of the sheets on the board or a flat surface, spray with non stick cooking oil.
- Place the dough ball on it and cover it with another plastic sheet.
- Using a rolling pin, gently roll the dough over the plastic sheet to a round shape of medium thickness.
- Don't roll it too thin and it should be a small round.
- Heat a frying pan and add enough oil for frying, let the oil turn hot.
- To test if the oil is hot enough: drop a small piece of dough into the oil, if it fries up and floats on the oil immediately, the oil is ready to fry.
- Carefully drop the rolled dough into the oil.
- Let the bottom side puff up a bit, turn to the other side using a slotted spoon.
- Gently press the sides of the poori, this will make the poori to puff up.
- When the poori has turned light golden in color, remove using the slotted spoon and place it on a paper towel.
- This poori wouldn't puff up like the pooris made with wheat flour.
- Serve warm with any kinds of curries.
