Banana-Ginger Poori

Looking for brunch ideas this weekend? Here’s a sweet and savory poori that’s perfect for a fall morning.

Poori is a very common deep-fried bread that is eaten all throughout India. Most commonly, poori often paired with a spicy dish and is often served on special occasions. It is also a key component of a common Indian breakfast, the Poori Bhaaji. while the Bhaaji may vary in different cities, the poori is pretty standard: flour, salt, a bit of oil and water that’s deep fried and puffed to perfection.

How and what you eat it with will vary, depending on where you’re from and what ingredients you have available to you. There are also many variations to this, such as crispy, coin-sized versions used in Chaats or an extra large bhatura, served with spicy chole. There’s also the infamous masala poori that some how always showed up on most family vacations and road-trips growing up.

In some parts of the country, the dough is made with mashed potatoes or various types of lentils. There’s also variety of flours that can be used to create different tastes and textures. This particular poori is widely famous in the Udupi region on India’s southwestern coast. More popularly known as Mangalore Buns or Banana Buns, this moldy sweet poori is a staple breakfast and tea-time snack that unfortunately not easily available anywhere else. After a bit of research, I could not find out why it’s called a “Bun”, but can take a wild guess that the British or the Portuguese had something to do it with. If you know, feel free to share it in the comments.

Since there are so many versions of Poori out there already, why not one more and this is the perfect way to get rid of some old over-ripe bananas. I had it with a simple potato shaak and chili-maple mango chutney!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

• 1 cup Almond Flour1/2 tsp salt

• 1 tsp Cumin Seeds

• 1 tsp Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Pie Spice (Chinese 5 Spice works too)1/4 tsp Baking Soda

• 1 Ripe Banana 1 tsp coconut oil, melted

• 3 tbsp Almond Cashew Paste (1 part shaved almonds, 2 parts cashews, boiled and blended)

• 1 Thai Green Chili, finely chopped and seeded (optional)

• 1 tsp Ginger, Chopped

• Water as needed

• Oil for frying (I used a Canola-Grape Seed blend)

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Directions:

• In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients: Almond and whole wheat flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie Spice, salt and cumin seeds

• In a separate bowl, mash the ripe banana and mix in coconut oil, almond cashew paste, chopped green chili and ginger

• Make a little well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the banana mixture along with a little bit of water (just enough to bind the dough firmly)

• Use hands to mix together, kneading it until a somewhat sticky, but firm dough has formed

• Drizzle some coconut oil on top and set dough aside for a couple hours to rest When ready to fry, carefully heat up the frying oil

• To roll the pooris out, grease your hands with a little bit of oil

• Pinch off golf ball-sized pieces of dough, using a rolling pin to roll dough out into thin, small circles on an oiled surface

• Add pooris to the oil and deep-fry until golden brown on both sides

• Optional: Carefully splash the poori with the hot oil using a slotted spoon to let it puff up

• Carefully remove from oil and drain on paper towels

• Garnish with Sea Salt and Pumkin Pie Spice