CRISPY DELIGHT - INDIAN

Ingredients:

Maida (flour) 1 cup
Oil 2 tbsps
Salt 1/4 tsp
Kalonji (Onion or Nigella seeds) 1/4 tsp
Method:

Sieve maida and salt together. Heat the two tsps of oil in
a pan, and when moderately hot, pour into the maida.
Mix well. Add Kalonji (onion seeds) and knead into a
smooth dough adding quarter cup water. Divide into 22
balls. Roll out four into moderately thin puris. Take
a knife and cut each puri (in the centre only) into
three parallel horizontal lines (keeping all the sides
of the puri intact.) Repeat with the remaining puris.

Heat oil in a kadai. When the oil is hot, take a puri in
hand, roll it keeping the horizontal lines inside, twist
both ends gently and press slightly so that the whole
puri looks like a bud. Drop into the hot oil. Make the
remaining puris the same way. Deep fry on medium
flame till crisp and light gold in colour. Store in an
airtight tin when cold. These crispy delights look very
decorative. Kalonji has a flavour of its own.

When deep frying pakodas, murrukus etc, to retain
crispness, do not put the hot fried items on top of the
previously fried items. Place each fried batch
separately. Mix together only when cold and place in an
airtight tin.