Kuttu ki puri and aloo sabzi is the Navratri meal half of North India looks forward to. It is also the one that most often goes wrong: puris that crack at the edges while rolling, refuse to puff, or come out of the kadai heavy with fat. Every one of these problems comes from the same fact. Buckwheat has no gluten, so the dough behaves nothing like wheat.
For the puris
- 1 cup kuttu atta (buckwheat flour)
- 2 medium potatoes, boiled, peeled and finely mashed while warm
- ½ tsp sendha namak
- ½ tsp cumin seeds, lightly crushed
- 1 green chilli, very finely chopped (optional)
- 1 tsp ghee for the dough
- A few tablespoons of water, only if needed
- Ghee for frying
For the aloo sabzi
- 3 medium potatoes, boiled and roughly broken
- 1½ tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 green chilli, chopped
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1 medium tomato, chopped (if your family uses tomato during vrat)
- ½ tsp red chilli powder
- Sendha namak to taste
- ¾ cup water
- Chopped coriander
Method for the puris
- Mash the potatoes very smooth. Any lumps will tear the puri. Grating works better than mashing.
- Make the dough. Combine kuttu flour, potato, sendha namak, cumin, chilli and 1 tsp ghee. Knead with your hands. The moisture in the potato should be almost enough. Add water a teaspoon at a time only if the dough will not come together. It should be soft and pliable, not sticky.
- Do not rest it. Unlike wheat dough, kuttu dough gets drier and more crumbly as it sits. Make it just before frying.
- Heat the ghee. Heat ghee in a kadai on medium-high. It is ready when a small piece of dough rises to the surface immediately.
- Roll between sheets. Grease two squares of plastic or butter paper with ghee. Place a lime-sized ball between them and roll gently or press with a flat plate into a 4 inch circle. Slightly thicker than a wheat puri is fine.
- Fry. Peel off the sheet and slide the puri into hot ghee. Gently press the centre with a slotted spoon. It should puff. Flip once, fry for a few seconds until light brown and crisp, and drain.
Method for the aloo sabzi
- Heat ghee, add cumin, then chilli and ginger.
- Add tomato if using and cook until soft.
- Add potatoes, chilli powder and sendha namak. Mash a few pieces to thicken.
- Add water, simmer for 5 minutes and finish with coriander.
Why puris crack and how to fix it
Too little binder. Potato is what holds kuttu dough together. Some families use boiled arbi or raw banana instead.
Rested dough. Knead and fry immediately.
Rolling with flour. Dusting with more kuttu flour dries the edges. Rolling between greased sheets avoids it.
Why they soak up ghee
Almost always because the ghee is not hot enough. A puri in hot fat seals and puffs in seconds. In lukewarm fat it sits, absorbs and turns heavy. Test with a small piece of dough before every batch.
About the frying ghee
Strain the ghee after frying and keep it in a separate jar for more vrat cooking over the next few days. Do not reuse it many times; it darkens and loses its aroma.
For Navratri frying we use Desi Cow A2 Ghee, and a 2.5 litre dolchi covers the festival for most families.