In North India, Bathura is large deep fried flat bread, made of all purpose flour. It is larger than a poori, and is soft , mildly sweet and elastic. It is a perfect combination for a rich channa curry or meat curry.
What I used: Serves 4, makes about 8-10 large bathuras
2 cups all purpose flour¼ cup chirotee rava (fine semolina)
1 cup yogurt (Vegans, substitute this ingredient with warm water)
2-4 tsp milk if needed
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder (optional)
Enough vegetable oil to deep fry, about 2 cups
Mix the dry ingredients together thoroughly. Add yogurt and mix. If you need more liquid, add some milk and knead it down to a firm dough. Cover it and let it sit for about 30 minutes to an hour. Beat the dough down and divide it equally into 8-10 lemon sized balls. In a deep fry pan, add oil and let it heat on medium flame. On a rolling board, or flat surface, dip a dough ball in a little cold oil, and roll it out evenly to form a large flat round bread.
Test the oil, by adding a tiny bit of dough, if it puffs, the oil is hot enough to deep fry. Gently lower the rolled flat bread with both hands into the oil from the edge of the pan. Using a colander spoon, press the middle of the bread a little until it puffs up like a balloon. It is such a lovely sight to watch it puff :-)Flip it over gently to the other side. When it is golden brown, drain the excess oil and place the bathura into a colander or paper tissue to drain out any excess oil. Serve hot with channa or any meat gravy. I hope this makes a good Sunday brunch! Enjoy!