Palak Puri / Spinach Poori

Palak Puri is a flavorful Indian puffed bread made from iron-rich spinach and whole wheat flour. Pureed spinach is added to whole wheat floor along with spices to make the poori dough which lends a beautiful green color to the puris making it appealing even to the fussy eaters. Palak poori is a delicious way of adding the healthy benefits of spinach into our daily diet. The recipe is vegan and Onion-Garlic free. It can be served at breakfast with pickle and curd or packed in the lunch box with potato curry and raita. 

What is Puri?

Puri often spelled as poori is a puffed, deep-fried Indian bread made from unleavened whole wheat flour. A perfectly fried poori is crisp, puffed up like a ball, and golden in color. Puri is one of the popular breakfast dishes usually served with pickle and savory curries like Pindi chole, Aloo Matar curry . Poori masala is a delicious combination of puri served with curried potatoes. A dough is made with whole wheat flour, salt and carom seeds. Small dough balls are rolled out into round discs which are then deep fried to make crisp puffed puris. Though puri is usualy served with savory, curries there are few sweet dishes from Indian cuisine that taste best with puri.

• Shrikhand, a delectable flavored yogurt dessert from Maharashtrian Cuisine tastes best when served chilled with hot puffed puris. 
• Basundi, another dessert from Maharashtrian cuisine made from reduced sweetened milk that is flavored with saffron and cardamom. Basundi puri is a festive menu and tastes heavenly.
• Amras, a sweet delicious mango treat made from ripened mango puree is often served with puri and is a popular festive meal during Summers in Maharashtra.

There are many variation to the plain puri. Chopped or pureed vegetables are added to the whole wheat flour along with spices to make vegetable puris. Masala puri is another spicy variation of puri where an array of flavorful spices are added to the puri dough. Bedmi puri is a traditional breakfast from Indian state of UP, where soaked and ground lentil paste is added to the whole wheat flour along with spices to make poori which is typically served with Aloo rasedar, a spicy potato curry.

What goes into my version of Palak Puri ? The Ingredients:

Palak puri is a delicious and colorful variation to the plain poori. Here, Spinach leaves are blanched (immersed in boiling water for around 40-50 seconds and then immediately transferred to ice cold water). This step of blanching helps to maintain the bright green color of the spinach and preserves the flavor and nutrients of the greens. The blanched spinach leaves are pureed along with green chili and ginger and this puree is added to whole wheat flour with carom seeds, salt and sesame seeds. A dough is made with this mixture and little water. Small dough balls are rolled out and deep fried in oil to make palak puri. I have added a small amount of rice flour also to whole wheat flour to make the pooris crisp. This also helps in making the pooris remain puffed up for a longer time.  Let's have a look at the ingredients one by one.

• Spinach/ Palak : the star ingredient of this palak puri is obviously nutrient rich leafy vegetable- spinach. It is rich in iron and has many healthy benefits. Apart from it spinach lends a beautiful green color and a lovely flavor to the puri.
• Whole Wheat Flour: Palak puri is made using whole wheat flour which makes it healthy and wholesome.
• Rice flour: a small quantity of rice flour is added to whole wheat flour which keeps the puri remain puffed for a longer time.
• Carom Seeds /Ajwain : Carom seeds add a wonderful aroma and flavor to the puri.
• Sesame Seeds: White sesame seeds make the palak puri appealing apart from adding nutty flavor and healthy benefits.
• Green Chili: I do not use red chili powder as it changes the lush green color of the puris. Green chilies add spice and maintain the green color.
• Ginger: Ginger and green chili are added to the blanched spinach leaves and pulsed to make the puree.
• Salt: Add salt to taste.
• Oil: The palak puris are deep fried in oil. I have used sunflower oil. You may use any neutral cooking oil.

Related Event: Hot-Pot @ShhhhCookingSecretlyChallenge.

This Palak Poori recipe is featured in the Facebook gourmet group, Shhhhh Cooking Secretly Challange. This group was started by Priya's versatile recipes and taken further till date by Mayuri di who blogs @Mayuri'sJikoni. Here, participating members take turns to propose theme for each month. The theme for December month proposed by Priya Iyer was "Hot Pot". Priya suggested that we prepare any sweet or savory hearty hot meal that is best enjoyed during the cold season. Priya has a wonderful blog where she shares her culinary journey. You might love to check out her Moong dal khichdi with Kale , a soulful one pot meal. 

In this group, all participating members are divided into pairs and both partners exchange a set of secret ingredients, using which both have to cook a dish depending upon the theme for that particular month. Once the dish is ready, only the pic of the dish is shared on the group and the other group members take turns in guessing the secret ingredients just by looking the pic of the dish. The secret ingredients are revealed at the end of the month when the recipes published by the respective members. 

My partner for the Hotpot theme was Mayuri di and she gave me Spinach and Carom seeds as my secret ingredients using which i made this delicious palak puri. In return, i gave her cheese and lentil and she prepared a Vegetarian Moussaka using it. You might like to check out her Mushroom Spinach Curry which is next on my to-do list. Do check out her space for more delicious recipes from around the globe.

                             

Dietary Notes:

• Vegan
• Jain / Saatvik  recipe - onion-garlic free
• Kid friendly
• Side dish

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time:20 minutes

Serves: 1 dozen puris

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup rice flour
• 1/4 teaspoon carom seeds
• 2 tablespoon sesame seeds
• Salt to taste
• 1 large bunch of spinach leaves
• 2 green chilies
• 1/2 inch ginger
• Oil for frying the puris

Method:

1. Wash the spinach leaves and add them to boiling water. Allow the leaves to cook for around 2 minutes. Put off the flame and immediately transfer the drained spinach leaves to a bowl with ice-cold water. 

                          

                          

2.  Once the leaves have cooled down, drain and transfer the leaves to a grinder jar with green chilies and ginger. Pulse to make a fine paste without adding any water. Our spinach puree is ready.

                           

3. Take whole wheat flour, rice flour, carom seeds, sesame seeds and salt in a bowl. Mx well.

4. Add the prepared spinach puree to the flour and knead the flour to a soft dough. Add few drops of oil to the dough to make it smooth. Set aside for 5 minutes.

5. Meanwhile add enough oil in a frying pan or small wok and allow it to heat on medium flame. Now, divide the puri dough into 12-15 equal parts. Shape them into gooseberry shape balls. Roll out each dough ball on a greased working surface with a rolling pin into small discs of around 3-4 inch. Roll out only a couple of poori dough. Make sure you keep the puri dough balls covered with a muslin cloth from preventing them from drying out.

6. Once the oil is hot, lower the flame and carefully slide the rolled out pooris into the wok. add only one or 2 pooris so that they do not over crowd. Press the sides of the poori with a slotted ladle so that it puffs. Deep fry the poori well from both sides on medium flame. Remove the poori using a slotted ladle on to an absorbent sheet. Make all the pooris similarly.

7. Serve the pooris hot with curd and pickle of your choice at breakfast or pack it in lunch box with some raita and Aloo Rasedar. 

                       

Recipe Notes:

• Use fresh , unblemished Spinach for best results. You may use tender stems. 
• Spinach leaves are blanched (immersed in boiling water for around 40-50 seconds and then immediately transferred to ice cold water). Blanching spinach preserves its flavor, nutrients and the appealing lush green color.
• Adding rice flour to the whole wheat flour makes the pooris crisp and keep them puffed for a longer time. 
• Never use flour to dust the working surface while rolling out the poori dough. Use few drops of hot oil from the wok to roll out the pooris.
• Palak pooris taste best when served piping hot. 

Would love to hear from you !

I hope you would love trying out this delicious Palak Puri. If you do so, feel free to share your feedback with use in the form of likes and comments in the section below this post.

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See you soon with yet another healthy and delicious creation from my Kitchen. Until then stay safe and eat right !

Happy Cooking !

Happy Eating!

Regards

Poonam Bachhav

Related Post: 

• Bedmi Poori              

• Urad Dal Kachori

• Spinach Oats Cutlets

• Spinach Soup

• Palak Paneer