After posting dhalpuri and lentil puri on social media, the following request was pigeon peas puri.
Like all the stuffed rotis I have made, peas puri requires the same process, patience, skill, and dedication.
For the filling, fresh green pigeon peas are first boiled until tender but still firm, then ground in a food processor, and seasoned with bandhania(culantro, shado beni, recao), garlic, hot pepper, and ground roasted cumin. The filling is then stuffed into the dough, rolled out and cooked.
Peas puri is excellent with curries and stews or you can enjoy it by itself! It is filling, tasty, and satisfying.
In this recipe, pigeon peas are used rather than sweet peas, however, I am sure that will be a perfect alternative. If using the softer sweet peas, I think just a good blanch rather than 15 minutes of cooking will suffice. You do not want the peas to be too soft.
I find pigeon peas in the freezer section of my supermarket. It is also referred to as gandules.
If you do not have access to bandhania, scallion or cilantro is a good substitute in this recipe.
Watch the corresponding video to gain full confidence to make this at home for your family. If you do, please leave your feedback below and send a pic to cookingwithria2011@gmail.com.
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Peas Puri
Ingredients
To Boil Peas
- 1 lb Green Pigeon Peas
- 10 cups water
- 1 tbs salt
To Season Peas
- 6-8 cloves garlic
- Hot Pepper
- 6-8 culantro leaves or handful of cilantro
- 2 tbs ground cumin
To Knead Flour
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 tsp brown sugar optional
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ¾ cups lukewarm water
- Pinch instant Yeast optional
- 1/2 cup cup vegetable oil, for cooking roti
Instructions
Prepare Peas: (Can be made ahead, refrigerated for a few days or frozen until ready to use)
- Pick through peas and remove any that are bad and wash with several changes of water. Drain.
- In a medium pot over high heat, bring water to a boil and add peas. When it comes to a rolling boil, lower heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes or until peas are cooked and firm (not soft) and crushes easily between thumb and forefinger. Drain and allow it to cool completely and air dry.
- In a food processor, add garlic, hot peppers and bandhania (culantro) leaves. Process until fine. Add 1/3 pigeon peas and process until very fine. Remove to a bowl and repeat two more times. Mix well.
- Form into equal 6 or 8 sized balls, depending on the amount of roti you are making.
Knead Flour
- In a large bowl, add flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and yeast if using. Mix and gradually add water until there is no more dried flour. Knead to make a soft dough. Let dough rest for 30 minutes.
- Separate dough into 3 balls, then separate each into two equal pieces (or 4 and 8 for smaller roti). Form into smaller balls (making 6 balls) and let it rest for 10-15 minutes.
Fill dough
- Flatten dough into a disk, place ¼ cup of peas or peas ball, if you followed that step, onto the dough and stretch the edges over and around the peas, to meet at the top, then press together, rotating and pinching to properly seal. Place on a tray, repeat and keep covered while you move on to the next step.
Cook roti
- When ready to cook(do not allow the dough to rest too long as it will get too soft and unmanageable), heat tawa over high heat until smoking. Lower heat and brush with oil.
- Sprinkle flour on counter and place filled dough. Press gently to make a round disc.
- Roll out dough to an 8-inch circle or wide enough to fit into your pan or tawa, making sure that the surface is even and edges are thin.
- Pick it up gently resting it on the palm of your hand and fore arm and place on the hot tawa. When tiny bubbles appear on the surface brush with oil and flip. Brush the other side with oil and flip. When the roti swells, is lightly brown on both sides and the edges are fully cooked, it is ready. Remove carefully from tawa and place in a large tray, lined with a kitchen or paper towel.
- Repeat steps 8-11 until all the roti are cooked.
