“Fresh Green Peas (Vatana) Poori” … This is a medium spicy flavored poori that can be enjoyed hot straight away from the oil, all puffed up like a balloon, just as it is or with some pickle or chutney … It’s the season of fresh peas and this is just one type of preparing and enjoying them … Yummilicious ....…
** Spicy poori’s are a delight to have as a snack or serve them at bf, lunch or dinner. This one can be savored without any other dish as an accompaniment to it. The addition of spices and other ingredients makes it “all in one” and can be relished straight away hot and all puffed up from the heat. I simply love my poori puffed like balloons and love the expressions on faces too when they see puffed poori. It is a delight to pierce the poori and watch the steam pass away sometime right on your face passing on the aroma of the ingredients added to the poori. Poori is the most favorite of all Indians and is a must at all types of functions. Though people have learned to curtail their desire to hog on them now for health reasons.
** Deep fried foods have now become a taboo and I watch in dismay when many of my friends abandon their deep fried kadai into their attics. Personally I feel curtailing on the amount of relishing them is better than total ban. I as of now cannot think of abandoning them, but I do not want to dishearten them those who have for any particular reason. The same dough can be rolled out into a roti / paratha and fried on tava with or without any oil/ghee and relished. But I am sure you can prepare a few puffed and hot ones for your children who are in their growing years. So do try this one out, it is healthier than the normal plain poories as these have the added goodness of veggies. You can prepare and relish these poories with many variations, I will be added them as I prepare and do excuse me too for not posting them often as even I would prefer cutting down on oily foods. Go ahead and try these they are awesome in winter when peas are available fresh and the chill in the air makes you want to eat something fried.
** Ingredients :
Wheat Flour : 2 cups
Bombay Rava / Sooji : 2 tblsp
Fresh Green Peas : 1 cup
Fresh Coriander Leaves : ½ cup (leaves only)
Green Chillies : 3-4 less spicy ones
Fresh Ajwain / Carom / Vonvo / Ovam leaves : 3-4 small ones (Optional)
Ajwain / Carom Seeds / Vonvo / Ovam : 1 tsp if adding leaves too or else 1 tblsp
Jeera / Cumin Seeds : 1 tsp
Hing / Asafoetida powder : 1 tsp
Fresh Curry Leaves : 5-6
Oil : 2-3 tblsp
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying.
** Add the cooked green peas, coriander leaves, green chilies chopped fine, ajwain leaves cut to pieces, ajwain seeds jeera, hing, curry leaves cut to pieces in a mixer grinder. Add in little bit of salt and grind to a fine paste. Do not add in much of water, add little by little that much, how much is necessary. Remove and keep it aside ready.
** Note : I have a ajwain plant at home, so I add them whenever I need as I love the fresh leaves flavour, if its not available just increase the ajwain seeds amount and leave out the leaf part.
** In a large wide bowl add in the wheat flour, Bombay rava, salt to taste and 1 tblsp of oil. Mix all together well. Do not add excess salt as we have also added to the peas mixture.
** Add in the ground pea’s mixture the flour and continue mixing it well. You will get a grainy sort of texture. Now add in water little by little mixing all the while and prepare it into smooth but stiff dough. Keep the dough covered aside for some time. Say 10-15 minutes.
** Note : Rava is added to help in keeping the poori puffed and intact. Always add in little bit of rava to any type of poori you make and they will puff up like a balloon and remain so for quite some time.
** Add a little bit of oil to you palm and knead the dough again and roll it into a long roll like rolling pin evenly. This always helps in getting even sized poori dough balls for rolling. With the help of a knife cut them as shown in the picture into even sized cuts.
** Apply some oil on hand and mix apply a light hand on the cut pieces of dough. This ensures they do not dry up and also helps in rolling without dusting. For poori you can follow the dusting or non dusting method. 
** Note : If you roll without dusting, the rolled poori dough will not stick to each other, also the same can be prepared and kept covered with a cling film in the fridge before hand and remains good for a day. Though I prefer freshly prepared dough, you can do the same if pressed for time and have large number of guests.
** Roll out the each ball evenly into a 3.5 to 4 inch dia circle. The poori should always be rolled evenly. They should not be too thick nor too thin both will not give desired results. The poori should be slightly thicker than the roti, that’s all. Also with practice, you will learn to roll them evenly.
** While you start rolling, keep a kadai with plenty of oil on full heat, once it comes to smoking point, lower the heat to medium and wait for a few minutes. Meanwhile, you can roll the roti and keep them ready to be deep fried. Once the required number of poori are rolled and ready check the heat level of oil in kadai. 
** Note : For checking if the oil is hot enough, Just add in a pinch of the dough into the oil, if it hits the bottom and comes back sizzling the heat is correct for deep frying. If the dough does not bounce back and takes more time that means the oil is not hot enough and if it bounces back but comes out dark or burnt that means the oil is too hot. Always remember, the correct heat level is very important to get well puffed and well cooked poori. 
** Now slide in one poori gently into the hot oil, once it comes back sizzling, keep pressing it gently on sides with little pressure with a long handled spatula that has holes in it, this enable the poori to blow up from within and puff up evenly and nicely. Once if puff up, wait for a few seconds and then gently flip it to cook on the other side. Wait for a few seconds for the other side to be cooked too, then again flip it back and after just 1-2 second gently remove it with the holed spatula allowing excess oil to drain back into the kadai.
** Note : You can check up on the step by step pictures posted along with the recipe. If still not confident or not sure always check up once for the procedure from your willing neighbor who knows it or on You Tube. Getting to learn first hand from your family is always the best way as you will be witnessing the procedure yourself.
** Now repeat the process with other rolled out poori by deep frying them exactly as before. Maintain the heat at the same temperature throughout the process of deep frying. It is very important to have constant heat.
** “Fresh Green Peas (Vatana) Poori” is done and ready to be served. You can serve the same as it is hot and puffed up directly from the fire or with some chutney / ketchup or any other bhaji or curry as side dish. This is a spicy poori, so it can be relished as it is too. But remember to serve it hot and puffed up to you family and friends. Poori is best relished when they are hot though you can carry them in you lunch box too.
** An Earnest Request : There are many more recipes of similar type in the blog. For all my Recipes, use the search option or the label section in the Blog. If you are still not able to find it please leave a message in comment section or mail me the same. You can also go to my page (add on the left side of blog) and leave a message and I will try my best to get back to you as soon as possible … Thank you. I have also started a food group for "Konkani Saraswats" by the name "KONKANI DELICACIES" the link of which is posted on the left side of the blog page. Do join us in our culinary journey. I strongly believe in Sharing and always endorse that "Sharing Is Caring".
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