Kneading the dough: In a mixing bowl, take 1 cup fine un roasted semolina, ? teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt and 1 Tablespoon of all purpose flour (maida).

Mix evenly using your fingers.

Now start adding lukewarm water in parts and begin to knead the dough. First add 3 Tablespoons of water and knead well. Semolina absorbs water while kneading. Now add rest of the water. For me it took about 6 Tablespoons of water.

The kneading is very important in getting the perfect texture for the puris. The dough shouldn’t be too soft or too hard. In case you add a little more water then just correct it by adding 1 to 2 teaspoons of semolina. Knead for about 4 to 5 minutes.

Now add 1 Teaspoon of oil and knead for another 4 to 5 minute till the dough turns elastic with gluten strands, which is what gives the texture of the puris and also help in puffing up and staying crisp. Knead to a semi soft elastic dough, which is is crucial step in this recipe. Total kneading is 8 to 10 minutes.

Cover the dough with a moist kitchen towel or a foil and let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes.

Rolling the dough to make Puris: After 30 minutes knead the dough again for a minute and divide the dough into 2 to 3 parts depending on the workspace you have to roll the dough.

Put a drop of oil and roll to a large round with out any cracks. You should be able to flip the entire rolled dough without tearing apart.

Continue to roll to a thin and even round. If it is not rolled thin, then the base of the puris become thick and remains soft even after frying. If not rolled evenly then the puris will not puff up.

Use a cookie cutter or a small lid as I have done and cut into small to medium discs so that they fit into your mouth. Alternatively you can make small balls and put a few ball on a roti press and press them hard. But I prefer the first method.

Now remove the dough edges surrounding the small circles and place them on a plate without touching to each other.

If it’s going to take a while to fry the puris, cover them with a moist towel.

Roll the rest of the dough till done.

You can also fry them simultaneously like how I have done but if you are doing for the first time, take your time!!

Deep-frying Puris: Heat oil over medium heat for deep-frying in a pan. Once the oil is hot enough drop a small dough ball to check if the oil is ready. If the ball comes up to the surface, the oil is ready to fry the puris.

Slide a few puris in the oil (5 to 8 depending on the size of the pan). The puris will puff up as soon as you drop them into oil. Press them with the slotted spoon so that they puff up.

The oil shouldn’t be too hot now otherwise puris will become soft. Reduce the heat a little bit once the puris puff up. Flip them a couple of times and fry till golden brown even after the oil stops sizzling. This is the secret to get crispy texture of the puris both from inside and outside. Otherwise they remain soft from inside though they are crispy from outside.

Fry them till they are a light golden or golden and drain puris onto a kitchen paper towel placed on a plate to remove excess oil. There might be a few flat puris too. Don’t worry, you can use them for other chaat recipes like bhel puri, sev puri or papdi chaat.

Continue to fry till you are done will all puris.

Let the puris get cooled at room temperature and then store them in an airtight jar for later use. They stay crisp and can be stored for about a month if stored in an airtight jar.

This recipe makes about 50 to 60 puris depending on the size you prefer to make.