Jaggery Puris or Dhebra

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JAGGERY PURIS OR DHEBRA

Sunday morning, dad is craving his favorite – jaggery puris and green moong daal with a potato curry. He tells mom to make it, and mom starts preparation. Within an hour lunch is ready. That’s how quick and efficient was my mother.  Our wish was her command. She made what was requested of her, without any complaints, and without any fuss. Her Kitchen was her sanctuary – a place where she could be her own boss.  Both my grandmothers made these puris, and they made it in bulk to eat it for the next couple of days, even with breakfast and they taste so good with masala chai, and the garlic chutney.

This is perhaps my dad and brother’s favorite meal, and when they are eating this meal, they will NOT talk to you, or look at you. They focus totally on the food, and eat like there is no tomorrow 😉 It is a pretty funny sight!

 

I have not heard Gujarati folks talk about this dish, nor can it be found anywhere on the Internet. I believe this recipe is specific to our clan, in the Jain community. It was made a lot in Uganda, Africa, by my grandmother and she still loves eating it, at her age of 91.

 

SIMILAR TO MANDAZI? PERHAPS?

The jaggery puris seem to be similar to mandazi – which are African fried donuts. They look about the same. Both are fried and both are sweet. Mandazi is made with sugar, and the jaggery puris are made with duh – jaggery. Mandazi are leavened with baking soda or yeast since they are donuts, however the puris do not container any leavening agent. I wonder if they taste the same too. Something I am curious about!

jaggery puris

 

 

Mom’s puris always turned out absolutely perfect, crispy on the edges, super soft and pliable in the middle, a nice brown buldge on the top, a perfect vehicle for the daal and the potatoes. I would help her make it ofcourse, her sous chef in the kitchen always! I make it 2-3 times a year, as a treat for my kids cause they LOVE this dish too – next generation lovers of the jaggery puri!

 

INGREDIENTS FOR THE JAGGERY PURI OR DHEBRA:

The ingredients for the jaggery puri are really simple:

  • Whole Wheat flour: I get the regular atta or whole wheat flour from the Indian grocery store. It is wholesome and not ground all the way, leaving a bit of the husk in the flour.
  • Salt: A pinch of salt always to balance the flavors
  • Jaggery: I use the Indian grocery store Kohlapuri Jaggery (also called as gor in Gujarati language). The jaggery should melt nicely in the water.
  • Water: to make the jaggery water and bind the dough
  • Oil : Again to bind the dough

jaggery puris

I was making this meal a month ago, and my dough was really tough for some reason. The taste was fantastic but they were not soft and pliable like how they normally are, and I had done something wrong, and I did not have a recipe written down. So I called my aunt(masi – mom’s sister), in the U.K, and asked for tips on what went wrong.

She is a kitchen doctor, and knows what could be the mistake in something that I have done! So I used ghee instead of vegetable oil in the dough which made it tough. Thanks masi ! So I made the puris again after a week with vegetable oil and they turned out PERFECT! Just like my mom’s, with the PERFECT Texture! I was thrilled! Hence I decided to write the recipe down and share it with you all. 🙂

jaggery puris

 

I don’t know one person who does not enjoy this meal, especially with the hot puris taken out from the hot oil, and the piping hot green moong daal  OR my three lentil daal, along with the potato curry. It is generally eaten with garlic chutney, and the whole combination of sweet, salty, spicy, sour is simply fantastic, lip smacking delicious! My daughter loves it spicy and has it with the spicy garlic chutney! This is a very traditional Gujarati meal, one that you will NOT get in any restaurant! As my husband always says, if you want to eat an authentic Indian or Gujarati meal, be friends with an Indian or a Gujarati and you will get the best satisfying meal that will surely remember for a very long time!

 

FAVORITE COMBINATION!

I love eating the jaggery puris with Three lentil daal. This daal recipe can be found in my Cookbook MUMBAI MODERN that is sold on Amazon and any major bookstore retailer. I always say to support the local bookstores as much as you can!

jaggery puris

If you do try this recipe, please do not forget to tag #thejamlab on Instagram and/or leave a comment in the below blog post to let me know how you liked it !

jaggery puris

In other news, Indian festival season has started, along with the American festivals too! My favorite Indian festivals are Navratri and Diwali! I will not go into the mythology of these events, but one thing I want to mention about Navratri is mom would fast for 9 days, having only fruit, milk and nuts. I would accompany her on some of my college years. At the end of the Navratri, she would call around 12 girls from the nearby slums, to come home for a meal. Mom would make an elaborate Gujarati meal for the girls, and in the end she would give them like a party pack 😉 of bangles, bindis, other miscellaneous stuff, along with some cash for them.

The smile on their faces is all you needed to see and make your day. Mom and dad were and are very empathic towards others, and have always been willing to help others in need. They were and are very generous and always willing to give to others. These are the traits that I want to make sure I instill in my kids, to be empathetic, compassionate, and loving human beings. Rest all falls into place. With that note, I will end this blog post.

 

Much Love and light,

XO

Amisha

 

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