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Chausela
चौसेला: soft Chhattisgarhi rice-flour puris made from a hot-water dough
Chausela is the puri of the Chhattisgarh plains, where rice rather than wheat fills the granary, and it turns up at Hareli, Pola and any Sunday breakfast with a sharp tomato chutney or a potato curry. The dough is scalded with boiling water so the rice flour holds together, and the puris fry up pale, soft and lightly crisp at the edges. The usual mistake is mixing the flour with cold water; it cracks as you roll and the puris split in the oil. Chef's tip: knead the dough while it is still warm, using the heel of an oiled palm, and keep it under a damp cloth so the rounds stay supple.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 ¼ cups water
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 9 oz fine rice flour
- 1 green chilli (optional)very finely chopped
To fry
- 2 cups oil for deep-frying
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Bring 1 ¼ cups water to a rolling boil in a saucepan with ¾ tsp salt, ½ tsp cumin seeds and 1 green chilli.
5 minStep 2: Take the pan off the heat, tip in 9 oz fine rice flour all at once and stir hard with a wooden spoon until no dry flour remains. Cover and leave for 5 minutes.
6 minStep 3: While it is still warm but bearable, knead on an oiled surface for 3–4 minutes until smooth and crack-free. Divide into 14 balls and cover with a damp cloth.
5 minStep 4: Pat or roll each ball between two oiled sheets of plastic into a 9 cm round, a little thicker than a wheat puri.
8 minStep 5: Heat 2 cups oil for deep-frying in a kadhai. Pour in oil no deeper than a third of the pan's depth and heat it over medium heat; it is ready when a pinch of dough sinks and rises within 2–3 seconds with steady bubbles. Never leave hot oil unattended.
6 minStep 6: Slide in 2–3 chausela at a time and press gently with a slotted spoon so they puff. Fry 1 minute a side until pale gold, not brown, then drain on paper. Serve warm with tomato chutney.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 310 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does chausela take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of cumin seeds?
- Ground cumin, three quarters of the amount (add it with the other ground spices, not to hot oil first).
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