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.
My Other Posts in the A – Z Explore the Flavors Series
A for Akki Roti B for Baghrir with Orange Butter Sauce C for Chickpeas Shawarma D for Double Ka Meetha E for Esquites F for Farro Salad G for Gur Papdi H for Hayagreeva Maddi I for Idli J for Jau Ki Papdi K for Karthigai Pori L for Lemon Chia Seeds Muffin M for Mysore Pak N for Narali Bhath O for Oatmeal Payasam P for Pav Bhaji Q for Quinoa Brown Rice Adai Preparation time - 10 minutes plus 30 minutes resting timeCooking time - 20 minutesDifficulty 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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