Bread Rolls: Fried bread snacks with potato filling

A very simple recipe - served as a tea time snack in many Indian households.  This is another of those recipes which I have still not been able to perfect, but is made by Hubby, every single time. Even he has taken time to perfect it. 

Sharing it for those weekend evening snacks when you have guests over, or when you simply want to indulge.

Ingredients:
 For the filling:
Boiled potatoes: 2 big, grated
Green peas: 2 - 3 tsp (optional)
Chat Masala: 1/2 tsp
Amchoor Powder: 1/4 tsp, or lemon juice: 1/2 tsp

Jeera Powder: 3/4 tsp

Red Chilli Powder: 1/4 - 1/2 tsp
Green Chilli, finely chopped: 1 - 2 (optional)
Chopped coriander leaves: 2 - 3 tsp
Salt: To taste
Black pepper: To taste


Bread slices: 6
Oil to deep fry


Method:
- If using green peas, boil in microwave for around 5 minutes. Drain and keep aside
- Peel and grate the potatoes. Add the green peas and the rest of the spices. Mix well


Making the rolls:

Step 1: Take a large bowl and fill it with water. Dip a bread slice in it

Step 2: Gently take out the slice, and press it firmly between both the palms so that the water is drained out. Take care that the slice doesnot break, though it may lose its original shape
Step 3: Put a spoonful of filling in between the slice
Step 4: Fold around the sides to cover the filling
Step 5: Gently press and roll it in your palms to smoothen and close the edges and give it an oval shape

Frying:

- Take sufficient oil in a pan / kadhai to deep fry

- Heat the oil till it almost starts smoking

- Gently dip the prepared rolls in the hot oil, one or two at a time

- Roll over using a slotted spatula so as to evenly cook from all sides.

- Fry till golden brown. This should not take more than a minute.

- Serve hot with your favourite ketchup or chutney

Note:

- If the oil is not hot enough, the bread will absorb the oil leaving the end product very oily

Methi Ki Puri

Ages ago, when I was in kindergarten, our class was taken for a picnic to the city zoo. After watching the monkeys, giraffes and the lions, we had rested for lunch on the bank of a duck pond. Wondering what my Mom had packed for lunch, I opened my lunch box and it was packed with “green puris” . I was overjoyed, because I liked them more than the plain puris which were quite boring to look at.
In my later years, I realized it was my Mom’s method of feeding me all the green-leafy-vegetables which I would not have touched had it been in the form of “Palak Paneer” or “Methi Aloo” .
There are several recipes for preparing Methi ki Puri, many of which call for mixing different spices. My recipe (or rather my Mom’s) is simpler, has lesser ingredients and apart from cleaning the leaves, does not take much time.

Ingredients:

Wheat Flour (Atta): 2 cups

Methi (Fenugreek) leaves: a bunch

Salt : ½ tsp

Oil to deep fry

Method:

- Clean and wash the methi leaves. Chop them finely.
- Mix the flour, the chopped leaves, salt and enough water to make dough. This requires lesser water than what you would normally use because (a) the leaves are also moist (b) the dough for puri is harder than that of chapattis / paratha.
- Divide the dough into small balls (roughly the size of table tennis balls), and roll them into puris
- Heat sufficient oil in a kadai / frying pan and deep fry puris till puffed up and golden brown.
- Drain the excess oil on paper towel and serve hot

My Recommendation:
- I love it best with Matar Paneer
- It goes well with pickles or any other Indian curry

For those who are new to Indian Cooking:
How to Make Puris