Vrat ki Poori or this Rajgira Aloo Poori or Amaranth Flour Poori is very popular during Navarathri fasting. Amaranth seed is naturally a gluten free grain and is consumed during the fasting period.
This month's Mega BM has allowed me to experiment me with several new whole grains. Amaranth seed is one such whole grain that I have wanted to try for a long time.
Since the Amaranth flour / rajgira atta is gluten-free, it is hard to make a smooth dough with it. Hence, I have used potatoes to help bind the dough. This is a very filling recipe and is deep-fried. We can also make paratha or roti with the same dough, but since poori is something my kids love, I decided to make it.
During fasting these pooris are served with aloo rasedar or any subzi made with root vegetables. I made it as a normal weeknight dinner and hence made the typical South Indian-style Potato Masala to serve.
The pooris absorbs quite a bit of oil as it also has potatoes in it. I noticed that when the poori is fried in hot oil, it does not absorb too much oil. Hence, make sure the oil is hot before frying them.
It also takes a little bit of practice to roll the poori. Since the Amaranth flour does not have any gluten, it is will be quite sticky to roll it. I rolled it between two sheets of plastic and it worked great.
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Preparation time - 10 minutes plus 30 minutes resting time
Cooking time - 20 minutes
Difficulty level - easy
Ingredients to make Rajgira Aloo Poori - Makes around 25 pooris
- Rajgira atta / Amaranth flour - 2 cups
- Potato - 2 medium (boiled and mashed)
- Salt - to taste
- Cumin seeds / Jeera - 1 tsp
- Oil - to deep fry plus 2 tsp
Procedure to make Amaranth Flour Poori -
- In a wide bowl, measure the flour. Add the mashed potato, cumin seeds, and salt and mix it well.
- The flour would be having enough moisture from the potato to bind it together. Just add water little by little and make a tight dough. Make sure not to add too much water as the dough will become sticky.
- Add a teaspoon of oil and knead the dough once again. Cover the dough and let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, heat oil in a pan to deep fry the pooris.
- Pinch small balls out of the dough.
- The pooris would be hard to roll as the rajgira atta/amaranth flour does not have any gluten. Hence, we either pat it with hand to shape the poori or roll it between plastic sheets. I rolled the poori between plastic sheets (I used Ziplock bags). Tear the bag on the edge and grease the two sides of the bag.
- Place a ball of dough between the two sheets and using a rolling pin gently roll the dough into a circle.
- Deep fry the rolled poori in hot oil until golden brown on both sides. Make sure the oil is hot when you deep fry the pooris or else it will absorb too much oil.
- Drain the poori on a paper towel and serve the amaranth flour poori warm with subzi.
- I served the rajgira aloo poori with Potato Masala.
Other Gluten-Free Ideas
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Recipe
Rajgira Aloo Poori | Amaranth Flour Poori
Equipment
- bowl
- pan
- Paper Towel
- plate
Ingredients
- 2 cups Rajgira aata / Amaranth flour
- 2 medium Potato boiled and mashed
- to taste Salt
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds / Jeera
- 2 teaspoon Oil to deep fry
Instructions
- In a wide bowl, measure the flour. Add the mashed potato, cumin seeds and salt and mix it well.
- The flour would be having enough moisture from the potato to bind it together. Just add water little by little and make a tight dough. Make sure to not add too much water as the dough will become sticky.
- Add a teaspoon of oil and knead the dough once again. Cover the dough and let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, heat oil in a pan to deep fry the pooris.
- Pinch small balls out of the dough.
- The pooris would be hard to roll as the rajgira aata / amaranth flour does not have any gluten. Hence, we either pat it with hand to shape the poori or roll it between plastic sheet. I rolled the poori between plastic sheets (I used Ziplock bags). Tear the bag in the edge and grease the two sides of the bag.
- Place a ball of dough between the two sheets and using a rolling pin gently roll the dough into a circle.
- Deep fry the rolled poori in hot oil until golden brown on both the sides. Make sure the oil is hot when you deep fry the pooris or else it will absorb too much oil.
- Drain the poori on a paper towel and serve warm with subzi.
- I served it with Potato Masala.
Padmajha PJ says
Poori looks so good Sandhya and thanks for the tip on frying these in hot oil. I have been wanting to make rajgira poori since long and will keep this in mind when I make this dish.
Priya Srinivasan says
Poori and aloo is a classic combination and a perfect breakfast/brunch for a lazy weekend! Ragira poori looks perfectly puffed and inviting!
sapna says
I always make the stuffed aloo ki poori but this version where potatoes are kneaded in the dough sounds much easier and of course tastier too. Bookmarking to try.
Manjula Bharath says
wow Vrat ki poori with rajgira has turned out perfect sandhya!! They don't look oily at all in your captures, Such an amazing recipe selection for the letter, you have presented them so well all puffed up and cute !!
Pavani says
Poori with rajgira flour look great. They puffed up beautifully and look so crispy too. The whole plate with poori and curry on the side looks very inviting.
Mayuri Patel says
Next Ekadashi fasting I'm going to try out your recipe for rangier pooris. They don't look oily. I tried once and it didn't come out nice at all. Like your suggestion of adding potato to the dough.
Srivalli says
Those pooris look awesome Sandhya, what a wonderful pick! I have the flour and have been planning to make these pooris too..
Gayathri Kumar says
Adding potato is a nice tip. Usually GF flours are so hard to work with. Your pooris have turned out amazing Sandhya.
Priya Suresh says
Omg, those pooris are calling me, thats an interesting way to sneak amaranth flour na. I have to still cook with this flour. Since i got couple of recipes from BMers now i dont want to keep myself away from trying those dishes with this rajgira flour.
kalyani says
my eyes keep going back to the ALoo- Jhol (curry) , I simply love that gravy with pooris, and the rajgira version is being bookmarked for the summer vacation which begins next week 🙂
Srividhya Gopalakrishnan says
Making poori with other flours is very interesting. Thanks for the idea. Got to try it with millet flours and quinoa flour too. Awesome Sandhya.
Vaishali Sabnani says
The rajigiri pooris have turned out so well, I have made them years back, and dont even remember the taste, but these pooris look absolutely fantastic, well puffed and paired with that aaloo ..oh it must have been mind blowing.
Sharmila Kingsly says
Poori made with anything is delicious we dont see the base.. Actually they have come out very well.. Making our family eating healthy food is always a challenge and this amaranth flour will do some justice!!
Sandhiya ThirumalaiKumar says
Rajgira Aloo Pooris are awesome. Haven't try this poori so far, sounds healthy . Great tip for rolling out this gluten free pooris,Sandhya
harini says
That is a good one, Sandhya. I have made roti with rajgira flour but these puris seem to be a fantastic choice as well.