Poori, Halwa, and Channa

India is a diverse country with various cultures and festivals. No matter what part of the world it is food that brings people together. Today's recipe is cooked on the last day of Navratra(discussed in Singhare ki Puri) where 9 girls(Kanjak) and 1 boy(Langur) are worshipped as mentioned in Devi Bhagwat Puran(Religious text), and the recipe is the offering to God and the 9 girls and 1 boy. Today we will be discussing Poori and Channa as we have already discussed Halwa in our previous posts.

Ingredients For Poori Dough

1. Whole Wheat Flour - 1 cup

2. Semolina - 3/4 cup

3. Oil - For Frying

4. Ghee - 3/4 tbsp

5. Ajwain/Carrom seeds - 1/2tsp

6. Water - 6 tbsp

For Channa

1. Kaala Channa/Black Chickpeas - 200 grams

2. Heeng - 1/4 tbsp

3. Oil - 1 tbsp

4. Bay Leaf - 2

5. Ginger Powder - 1/2tbsp

6. Kasoori Methi - 1tbsp

7. Lal Mirch Powder - 2tbsp

8. Haldi - 1/2 tbsp

9. Amchur Powder - 1/4 tbsp

10. Salt - as per taste

For Channa Masala Mix

1. Cloves - 3-4

2. Green Cardamom - 4-5

3. Black Cardamom 2-3

4. Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tbsp

5. Fennel Seeds - 1/2 tbsp

6. Nutmeg - 1/4 crushed

7. Peppercorns - 7-8

8. Coriander seeds - 1/2 tbsp

9. Carrom Seeds 1-3 tbsp

10. Cinnamon Stick - 1/2 inch

Procedure For Channa masala

1. In a pan dry roast, the whole spices mentioned above.

2. In a blender make a coarse powder and set it aside.

For Channa

1. In a pan add oil, Heeng, Bay leaf and let it smoke for a minute on a medium flame.

2. Add kaala Channa and mix it thoroughly.

3. After 3-4 minutes add Ginger Powder, Haldi, Amchur, Lal Mirch Powder, and 1/2 glass of water.

4. After a boil add the Channa Masala, Kasoori methi, and let it boil till there is almost no water left.

5. Switch off the burner and set it aside.

For Poori

1. In a bowl add Whole wheat floor, Semolina, Salt, Ghee, Carrom Seeds, 1/4 cup of water, and start mixing the ingredients till it begins to form a stiff dough.

2. Keep adding water if needed and make sure that the dough is not crumbly or dry.

3. Add 1/4 of ghee again and knead lightly to smoothen it. Make sure when you press the dough ball it's tight and stiff, not soft.

4. Keep it covered for 15-20 mins.

5. Take a Golf ball size dough and gently roll it so that it becomes smooth.

6. sprinkle some flour on the rolling area and gently roll it flat and evenly. Make sure it's not too thick or thin.

7. In a pot or a pan add oil and keep it on medium heat. Then drop a small portion of dough to check if the oil is hot.

8. Gently drop the poori in the oil by laying it away from you. Using a metal skimmer pat the poori and keep dripping the oil from the pot on the top of poori.

9. Take it out once golden and pat dry on a paper towel.

10. Serve with hot Channa and Halwa.