If you are tired of eating simple dishes every day, such as rice, dal, or wheat flatbreads, and want something very tasty and spicy for lunch, we offer you an excellent recipe. Although you eat simple wheat flour flatbreads often, perhaps you have never tried crispy lentil puri with masala.
If not, be sure to try this recipe. These puris turn out incredibly crispy on the outside and aromatic on the inside, so they do not need a special side dish. They can be eaten deliciously simply with pickles, yogurt, or tea. Let's learn the simplest way to prepare this appetizing and crumbly flatbread.
Ingredients for Sesame Oil Lentil Puri
To start, you will need the following ingredients: half a cup of lentils (soaked for 3-4 hours), 2 cups of wheat flour, 2 tablespoons of dry cornmeal (for extra crispiness), 2-3 hot peppers (finely chopped), a 1-inch piece of ginger, 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds, 1 teaspoon of whole cumin, 1 teaspoon of coriander powder, half a teaspoon of red pepper powder, half a teaspoon of turmeric powder, half a teaspoon of masala, two pinches of asafoetida, 1 tablespoon of dried methi, finely chopped fresh cilantro, salt to taste, 1 teaspoon of oil or ghee for kneading the dough, and the required amount for frying.
Cooking Method
First, thoroughly drain the water from the soaked lentils. Then, place them in a blender jar together with ginger, fennel, and hot pepper and blend until a coarse paste is formed without adding water (it is important that the paste is not too fine).
In a large bowl, mix the wheat flour and dry cornmeal. Add the ground lentil mixture, red pepper powder, turmeric, coriander, masala, asafoetida, dried methi, fresh cilantro, and salt. Mix all ingredients thoroughly by hand, gradually adding a little water to knead a firm dough (the puri dough should be firmer than regular flatbread dough).
Cover the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes. After that, divide the dough into small balls. On a lightly oiled surface (do not use dry flour, otherwise the oil will get contaminated), roll each ball into a medium-sized round flatbread. Heat enough oil in a deep pan for frying; it must be well hot.
Drop the rolled flatbreads into the hot oil and gently press them with a spatula so that they puff up like balloons. Fry on both sides until golden-brown and crispy, then remove them.
Serve the hot sesame oil lentil puris with raita, potato curry, pickles, or your favorite sauce during lunch.
