I’ve had this Dal Puri recipe sitting in my drafts for a while now. I could never get the pictures to look good so I kept putting it off. Finally I think my photos look a little pleasing to the eye.  

It’s a recipe I got from my mum-in-law which I tweaked a little. There are many recipes that I have tried. Just to make double sure that mine was actually perfect. Nothing worked for me, the dough was just never at the right consistency with other recipes so the final result was always thick Dal Puris.

With my mum-in -laws recipe I added a little yogurt to the dough and it works perfectly for me. It’s easy to roll and when fried it has that perfect crispness. Dal Puri has to be eaten fresh out the pan, it loses it’s crispness once it stands for a while.

Deep-Fried Indian Bread

For some Dal Puri whether it’s deep-fried or cooked on a thawa it’s one and the same thing. However, the dough is different and I’ve therefore posted two different recipes, at least here in SA our dough is slightly different. Everybody has their own variations when cooking different Indian bread, this is how I’ve learnt to cook them and although I am no expert it works for me.

Gram Dhall Filling

We always use gram dal for this recipe but you can also use yellow split peas, it works the same. I know some people prefer the dal mashed up but we prefer a crumb like consistency. If it’s mashed up it seems to be lost between the layers of dough. The dal needs to be soaked overnight and boiled just for a short while.

It needs to still hold it’s shape when cooked but should crumble easily when pressed between your fingers. It’s then cooled and popped into a food processor until it resembles crumbs. It is then cooked just for a short while with spices.

Preparing the Puris

My dough is exactly like I make for plain Puris.  Except for this recipe I added yogurt, which you can add to your normal puri recipe too. When frying the puris you have to ensure your oil is hot or the oil will soak into the puris. Drain the oil really well before placing them on a cooling rack, serve immediately.

If you are not good at multitasking you can roll out the puris and place them on some wax or parchment paper and fry them when you are done rolling them out. When rolling try not to use too much flour to dust the surface as it will burn in the oil. If there is excess flour on the puris you will need to dust them off before frying. I sometimes don’t use any flour when rolling them out.

My mum-in-law has always used spring onion instead of onion and I actually prefer it. Onion can be tricky to work with, when rolling out the dough, especially if it’s not cut fine enough. This Dal Puri is a treat in our home so when I do make it I prefer to make it rich and tasty so I use butter or butter ghee in the dough. I have not personally used oil, however there are recipes that use oil so you can google them and try if you’re looking for an alternative.

These puris are so delicious eaten on it’s own, fresh after it’s fried.  We also love it with vegetable curries, like this Barlotti Bean Curry or Sugar Bean Curry especially.

If you do try the recipe please drop me a comment. I always love hearing from you. Stay Safe:-)

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Dal Puri

Delicious deep-fried bread with a crumbly dal filling

Course Bread

Cuisine Indian

Keyword dal puri, deep fried bread, indian bread, puri

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Servings 12

Ingredients

Filling

• 1/2 cup gram dal
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 3 tbsp chopped spring onion
• 3 tbsp chopped coriander
• salt

Puri

• 2 cups cake wheat flour or all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp soft butter or butter ghee
• 3 tbsp plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup milk room temperature
• 1/4 tsp salt
• vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

Filling

• Rinse the gram dal well, cover it with cold water, add turmeric and salt and boil until tender but not mushy. It should still hold it's shape but crumble easily when pressed between your fingers
• Allow it to cool and add it to a food processor. Process until it resembles fine breadcrumbs
  
• Heat 2 tablespoon butter in a pan. Add the spring onion and cumin and fry for a minute. Add the dal and mix well. Allow it to cool and mix in the chopped coriander. Set aside
  

Puri

• Sift the flour and baking powder. Mix in the salt. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs
• Mix in the yogurt and milk until a soft dough is formed. If dough it too dry add a little more milk. If dough is a little sticky it will become less sticky on kneading. Knead for a minute and if dough is still sticky add a little more flour. Knead for another 2 minutes until dough is silky smooth
• Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.

Dal Puri

• Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Make them into neat round balls. Press them out a little, into a small flat disc and place about a tablespoon or slightly more, filling in the center. Bring the edges to the center and pinch to seal
  
• Dust a flat, clean surface with flour. Place the dough seam side down and roll very gently, about 13cm in diameter
• Place them on some wax paper or parchment paper
• Heat some oil on medium heat and fry the puris. I test my oil by adding a piece of dough into the oil, if it rises quickly your oil is ready.
• Place them on a cooling rack. Serve immediately

Notes

1. I forgot to add the turmeric when boiling the dal so I added mine to the butter when cooking the dal the second time
2. You have to be really gentle when rolling the dough or the filling will pop out
3. I prefer to flatten the dough a little with my hands and fill them with the dal, I found that when I rolled them out, before filling them with the dal, they were thicker on one side

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