Verki puri recipe | Layered puri recipe

What is Verki puri?

Verki puri or layered puri, is a popular tea-time snack from Western India. These crispy and flaky snacks are prepared during festivals like Holi and Diwali.

It is made from a mixture of all-purpose flour, carom seeds (ajwain), black pepper, ghee (clarified butter), and salt. Varki puri has a mild peppery flavor and tastes delicious. You can also pack it up while traveling or in picnics.

The dough is rolled out into thin layers. Seven layers of rolled dough are then stacked and rolled again before being deep-fried. This process creates a crispy and flaky texture, making verki puri a delightful and crunchy snack. Served with tea or coffee.

You may like to see other popular snack recipes from this website

1. Gobi Manchurian
2. Gobi 65
3. Potato Nuggets
4. Poha Cutlet

Ingredient notes

1. Maida/all-purpose flour - It makes the layered puri crispy, light, and flaky. You can substitute it with whole-wheat flour for a healthier version.
2. Flavoring - salt, pepper, and carom seeds/ajwain. Carom seeds aid in digestion and give a nice aroma to the puri. If you do not have it skip it.
3. Ghee/clarified butter - This is an important ingredient to make this layered puri. Do not skip it or substitute it with oil.
4. Rava (semolina) - Use fine rava/sooji/semolina to make this recipe. If you have thick Rava then grind it for 1 or 2 pulses and then use it. Do not skip it as it helps to make the varki puri crispy.
5. Cornflour - It helps to separate the layers and keep them crisp. You can substitute it with rice flour.

For the detailed list of ingredients & their measurements, please check out the recipe card below.

How to make crispy verki puri (step by step instructions with photos)

Step 1 Making the dough

1. In a mixing bowl, combine 1.5 cups maida, salt, 1 teaspoon ajwain (carom seeds), 3 tablespoon hot ghee, 1 teaspoon black pepper powder, and 3 tablespoon fine rava/semolina. Be careful, we are using hot ghee here, initially use a spoon to combine.
2. Now add water little by little and knead a semi-stiff dough. It is important that if the dough is semi-stiff then only the layers will be crispy.
3. Cover and keep the dough aside for 15 minutes. It is important to give the dough the required resting time.

   

Step 2 Preparing the Cornflour paste

1. In another bowl, combine 1 tablespoon cornflour and 2 tablespoon ghee. It should have free-flowing consistency. You can see the picture for reference. Keep this paste aside.

Step 3 Making the Verki Puri

1. Knead the dough again for 5 minutes.
2. Next, divide the dough into equal size balls. I got 6 equal size balls.

   

3. Now, roll the dough as thin as possible with a rolling pin. Keep it aside on a plate. Same way, roll all other dough balls and keep them aside.

   

4. Now place one of the rolled dough on a clean surface and apply the cornflour paste evenly over it.
5. Place another rolled dough over it. Again apply the paste.

   

6. Repeat the same process until the last rolled dough is placed.
7. Apply the paste over the last rolled dough.
8. Roll all the layers together tightly from one end to another and form a log.

   

9. Remove both ends with a knife. Cut the rest of the log into 1-inch pieces.

   

10. Take one of the pieces and flatten it gently with the help of the palm.

    

11. Roll it again and make medium size puri. No need to roll it too thin. Same way, prepare the rest of the puri.

    

Step 4 Frying the Layered puri

1. Heat oil in a heavy-bottom pan over medium heat.
2. Fry the puri until it is lightly golden on both sides.

   

3. Once cooled, store it in an airtight container.

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Recipe Card

Tips to make the crispy verki puri recipe

1. Ghee is an important ingredient that makes puri flaky. If you replace ghee with oil, the puri will not be that flaky. The taste and crispiness will be the same.
2. You can replace corn flour with rice flour. Cornflour mixed with ghee helps to separate the layers in this puri recipe.
3. Keep the consistency of the cornflour paste free-flowing.
4. Knead a semi-stiff dough.
5. Roll the dough as thin as possible before forming the log.
6. While frying verki puri, the oil should not be too hot. It should be medium hot.
7. Do not overcrowd the pan while deep frying the puri. It will reduce the temperature of the oil and the puri will not be crisp.
8. Use only that much oil that is needed for deep frying. The oil will turn cloudy after deep frying the puri. So use oil as required.

FAQ

Storage Suggestion

• Let the layered puri cool down to room temperature.
• Store them in an airtight container at room temperature. It stays good for 15 days.

Serving Suggestion

• You can serve it with tomato ketchup or sauce.
• It also goes very well with raw mango pickles or sweet pickles.
• Pair it with either tea or coffee.

Variations that you can try

• You can make this tea-time snack completely healthy by substituting Maida with whole-wheat flour.
• You can change the seasoning for this recipe. Like skip carom seeds and add Italian seasoning to them. Or add dry fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi).
• Add a dash of red pepper flakes to make it spicy. But skip adding it if you are making it for kids.