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Thunka puri
Giant puffed puris
ଠୁଙ୍କା ପୁରୀ: giant puffed puris from the Bali Jatra fair in Cuttack
Every Kartik Purnima, Cuttack holds Bali Jatra on the banks of the Mahanadi, a huge open-air fair that remembers the Odia sailors who once set off for Bali and Java; families float little paper and banana-bark boats at dawn and spend the day eating at the stalls. Thunka puri is the fair's famous snack: puris rolled as big as a plate, which balloon into hollow golden domes in the oil and are torn open over a bowl of hot ghugni (yellow pea curry), onion and tamarind chutney. Common mistake: oil that is not hot enough or dough that is too soft; the puri then drinks oil and stays flat. Get the oil to about 190 °C, so a pinch of dough rises at once, and it is done when it is puffed and pale gold on both sides. Chef's tip: slide the puri in, then gently press the centre with a slotted spoon and splash hot oil over the top; it will puff fully within seconds.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the dough
- 10 ½ oz plain flour (maida)
- 1 oz fine semolina
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- ¾ cup waterabout
For frying
- 4 ¼ cups vegetable oilfor deep-frying
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 10 ½ oz plain flour (maida), 1 oz fine semolina, ¾ tsp salt and 1 tsp sugar. Rub in 2 tbsp vegetable oil until the flour clumps when squeezed.
3 minStep 2: Add ¾ cup water little by little and knead for 5 minutes to a firm, smooth dough, stiffer than chapati dough. Cover and rest for 20 minutes.
25 minStep 3: Divide into 6 balls. Roll each, without dusting flour, to a 20–22 cm round of even thickness, keeping the rolled ones under a cloth.
10 minStep 4: Heat 4 ¼ cups vegetable oil in a wide kadhai to 375°F, until a pinch of dough rises immediately.
6 minStep 5: Slide in one puri, press the centre gently with a slotted spoon and splash oil over it until it balloons. Turn and fry 20–30 seconds more until pale gold on both sides.
1 minStep 6: Drain upright in a colander and fry the rest, letting the oil come back to heat between each. Serve at once with ghugni and chutney.
12 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 45 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does thunka puri take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of plain flour (maida)?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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