PALAK POORI - Meal made coclourful!

I love giving twists to regular meals and that is how Palak Poori became one of my dinners last week.  The unleavened Indian bread ... Inclusion of Palak/ Spinach into wheat flour transforms the regular Pooris into a beautiful bright, green and verdure delight.  

The cartoon series Popeye reminds us of spinach. Those who watched it can remember breaking open a spinach tin and devour it at one go. This series became popular in the US because of Popeye's penchant for spinach that boosted his energy to fight Bluto. It was said that the cartoon was instrumental to stress the importance of spinach (iron intake), especially for children. So... try this version if you have a picky eater at home. This is a sure winner.!

Preparation Time: 15 min
Resting time: 10 min
Cooking time: 15 min
Spice level: Spicy/ Medium
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Breakfast, Tiffin
Level: Easy
Yields: 12 medium/ 15 small Pooris

Nutrition Facts
Servings 15.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 168
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 13 g	20 %
Saturated Fat 2 g	10 %
Monounsaturated Fat 3 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 8 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg	0 %
Sodium 50 mg	2 %
Potassium 65 mg	2 %
Total Carbohydrate 12 g	4 %
Dietary Fiber 2 g	7 %
Sugars 0 g
Protein 2 g	5 %
Vitamin A	1 %
Vitamin C	1 %
Calcium	1 %
Iron	3 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cup Whole Wheat flour
• 1 bunch Spinach/ Palak 
• 4-5 green chillies
• 2 cloves of garlic ( optional)
• 1 tsp Cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp Coriander powder( optional)
• 1/4 tsp Fennel powder
• 1-3 pinches of turmeric
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp+ 1 tsp Sugar 
• Oil for frying

METHOD

• Separate Palak leaves, wash and and set aside.
• Boil 3 cups of water in a vessel. Add Palak and 1 tsp sugar to boiling water. Close with a lid and turn off heat. Leave it for 3 to 4 mins. Adding sugar prevents the pigment  from leaching out.
• Drain water and run tap water on the leaves to dissipate heat.
• Squeeze excess water. Do not squeeze the life out of the leaves. Be gentle.
• Transfer the leaves to a mixer jar. Add green chillies, garlic flakes ( if required), all spice powders, salt and 1 tsp sugar and grind to a smooth paste.
• Collect this paste in a mixing bowl. Start adding wheat flour in small parts to the Palak paste and continue till all of the flour is added. 
• Knead well to form a smooth yet stiff dough. Need not add water.
• Heat oil in a Kadai and keep the flame simmered.
• Cover this dough for 10 mins with a damp cloth.
• Knead again after 10 mins and divide the dough into 12 medium or 15 small portions. Roll into balls without any cracks. 
• Dust flour on work surface. Using a rolling pin roll out each ball into discs of 8 to 10 inches. 
• Go back to the Kadai and increase the flame to medium high. The oil should have started to fume by now.
• Slip the rolled out disc one at a time and fry. The oil will bubble and puff up the Poori. Keep pouring hot oil on the puffed up surface until the top turns a golden brown.
• Gently touch and press the sides and the Poori will automatically flip over. 
• Cook until done and drain on paper towels. It should take 1 minute for one Poori.
• Serve hot with any Sabzi, dip or pickle.

NOTES

• Palak Pooris by itself taste very nice and does not require any side dish. 
• Adjust green chillies as per spice requirement. 
• The same recipe can be adopted for making Chapathi/ Parathas. Ensure to make a smooth and pliable dough by adding a little extra water.