Kyoor

Kyoor is a crispy snack prepared in Jammu, hugely significant in Jammu's local culture. Traditionally, any auspicious event - such as the birth of a child or a wedding (specifically the Haldi ceremony) is an occasion when Kyoor is prepared. My grandmother prepared it when I was born (specifically during my Suthra), so there you have it.

In very loose terms, the preparation isn't too different from that of a Pancake - you have a batter, and you fry it in oil/Ghee. The only visible difference is that Kyoor isn't supposed to look nice, round, and consistent like a pancake. Rather they're very flaky, crispy and lacey. Also, they're served with Dahi or sugar as opposed to butter or syrup. Traditionally, Kyoor batter is poured by hand into the Ghee/oil for frying and not through a piping bag or with a ladle, and that is the reason behind the lacey texture.

Before I walk you through the ingredients or the steps, here are some relevant metrics for the recipe

• Difficulty - Easy

• Prep time - Around 20 minutes

• Cooking time - Around 20 minutes

• Servings - 5 servings of 2 Kyoor each, for a total of 10.

Ingredients

1. Maida/White flour - 2 cups

2. Water - approximately 3 cups

3. Salt - 0.5 tsp

4. Baking powder - 0.25 tsp. This is completely optional. Baking powder will make your dish very crispy, but the downside is that the Kyoor will soak up a lot of oil/Ghee. So, the choice is yours.

5. Ghee/Vegetable oil for frying.

The Process

1. Let's start by preparing the batter. In a medium-sized bowl, mix the Maida and the salt. If you've decided to add baking powder, add it in as well. Now the water; add it in, but only a small portion at a time. As you add water, keep on mixing. Continue mixing until you get a runny batter. If you pick some of it in a spoon, it shouldn't stick to the spoon as you pour it back into the bowl.

2. Cover up the bowl and let things rest for around 15 mins. The batter will thicken up slightly in that time.

3. Now it's time to fry. Heat some cooking oil in a fryer and wait for it to reach its smoke point.

4. Now bring the flame down to medium.

5. We can now pour some of the Kyoor-batter into the hot oil. Traditionally, it's poured by hand in a squiggly fashion with all five fingers, but if you're not comfortable with using your hands, a piping bag will do just fine. Pour the Kyoor into the oil and allow it to fry. The trick with Kyoor is that we only ever fry it on one side and never flip it over.

6. When the top side of the Kyoor reaches something similar to the texture as shown in the photo above, it's time to take it out of the oil and pat it dry with a paper towel. Your Kyoor is now ready to be served with some sugar or yoghurt.

Bon appetite. Enjoy this Jammu classic the next time you feel like peckish and in the mood for a fried snack. And as always, I'd love to hear what you have to say in the comments down below. See you in the next one.