Indian Gluten Free Breads | Navaratri / Dussera (Vrat) Fasting recipes
Its amazing what world wide web has done for the gourmands. Its has brought various cuisines right to one's own kitchen. I have learnt so much of my cooking thanks to Internet. In fact, I have better knowledge of my own Indian cuisine thanks to the web. Like this poori made of Buckwheat flour. I never knew or heard of this puri while growing up in India. What the heck, I did not know what Buckwheat was in the first place! But the love for whole grains got me closer to many grains - including buckwheat and  to many cuisines which used them in traditional preparations. I was shocked, to put it mildly,  when I saw a recipe right at home with it. These are very popular in Maharashtra made for the Navaratri Vrat (Fasting) where wheat, legumes and few other ingredients are avoided during this period.
Indian Gluten Free Breads | Navaratri / Dussera (Vrat) Fasting recipes
While I don't keep a fast during Navarathri, I make these on and off for the love for anything wholegrain. Given that Buckwheat is Gluten Free, it makes use of potatoes to help in the binding. These are crisp with little softness. They are more crunchy than a regular poori which is more soft in texture.  The distinct slightly bitter-earthy taste of buckwheat is masked well with the addition of potatoes. You get just a whiff of its flavor adding a favorable taste to these pooris. Adding the starch makes these poori heartier and filling.
  • Cook time:
  • Prep time:
  • Serves: 3 people
  • Yields: Makes 10-12 pooris
Ingredients
  • 1 cup (abt 110 grams/4 oz) Buckwheat flour, see Tips
  • 1 small-med (abt 140 grams/6 oz) Potato, boiled/steamed
  • 1-2 green Chillies, (optional) - see Tips
  • Salt to taste - see Tips
  • Few sprigs of Cilantro
Tips
1. Buckwheat: Known as Kuttu (ka atta) in Hindi, Papparai in Tamil.
2. Chillies : Although these pooris taste great without the chillies too, I personally love them with some heat. I think chillies blend well with earthy buckwheat enhancing the flavor.
3. Salt: If preparing this for Navarathri Fasting, use Sendha Namak (Rock salt ) instead.
Method
1. Mash the potatoes well until smooth with no lumps.
2. Mix all the ingredients together.
3. Mix until they form into breadcrumb like texture.
4. Add water - 1 tbsp at a time - to make a tight dough. Not very soft, nor too tight either but a little more tight than a chapathi dough. I think I needed about 1/4 cup of water.
5. Close with a wrap or a clean kitchen cloth and set aside for 15-20 minutes.
6. Pinch out small pieces of the dough and flatten it with your palm.
7. Roll it out into about 3 inch (diameter) circle. It should be thicker than chapathi or poori. Make sure to roll it out gently since it will break easily.  Use additional flour (buckwheat) to dust it.
8. Pat out the excess dough
9. and drop it in the hot oil (or ghee). Ladle some oil on top for it to puff. But it won't puff as it does for regular Poori
10. Turn and cook until it runs golden -reddish-brown (!). Drain on paper towels and serve hot.
Crunchy, crispy pooris ready. Serve them with any side dish of your choice (or that fits with fasting regulations if you are following it). Since Buckwheat generates heat in the body (and esp. given the level of heat and humidity in India), it would be advisable to pair it with Yogurt. Either a raita or a side dish made with yogurt sauce. Indian Gluten Free Breads | Navaratri / Dussera (Vrat) Fasting recipes

Ideal Accompaniments

Recipe Reference

my kitchen notes (put together from various internet sources)

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19 Comments

By niketa on Aug 11, 2014

Would love to try your recipe. I am allergic to wheat so I make crepes from buckwheat for lunch to be eaten with veg curry. Was looking for snack option and u have given one!!can I bake it instead of frying? What change I need to make in recipe if I want to bake? thanks in advance!!

By Sandhya on May 10, 2014

Hi, Can we have roti/chapathi of buck wheat regularly. Because I am elegiac to gluten.

By Shilpi on May 2, 2014

Hi I grew up in Northern India (uttar pradesh) and we always had these pooris aur even paratha from kuttu ka atta during navratre. Mom would sometimes use boiled lauki(bottle gourd ) instead of potatoes for more healthy option. I think zucchini will work equally well. Enjoy

By ruby on Apr 29, 2014

hiee... i would like to know if u know where i could find buckwheat groats instead of the flour..

By archna on Mar 10, 2014

Can we do witout potato

By maria on Jan 22, 2014

:lol: super yummy!!! I'm so happy to find a good recipe for buckwheat.

By Jyotshna Pati on Dec 26, 2013

Hi, I would love to try this recipe but not very confident about what kuttu ka atta is known in odia. Could you please help with Jr

By Kanchan on Nov 29, 2013

I sent to some info It seems it didn't go through

By Kanchan on Nov 29, 2013

:) Hi Sital I had these puris in Hungary at Hare Krishna Temple.in the month of August 2013 Since then I have experimented and made my way and it happens to be like how you make . Isn't it amazing !!!!! I would to share buckwheat pakora!!!! With you Buckwheat flour add all the ingredients you would use for pakora minus chick pea flour and they turned out to be delicious ( No onions or garlic either). Eat with dates and imli chantey

By Neelam on Aug 22, 2013

This is a nice recipe.I have tried it many times when I am fasting...but instead of water I prepare the dough with curd. :)

By mugdha on May 9, 2013

Thanks for sharing the recipe.I am a maharashtrian as well but never heard about buckwheat while growing up. I am looking for the marathi name for it but haven't found it yet. Could you please share the name if u know it?

I did a quick search and mostly many places mention "kuttu" for marathi too. In one site it mentions as "Gavhache Peeth". I am not really sure.--DK

By Djaninu on May 7, 2013

can i substitute sweet potato for potato?

By Meena on Nov 6, 2012

Buckwheat is known as Rajagro in Gujarat. Actually this is a seed not a grain. It is used to make a variety of sweet and savoury dishes. Try this puri while hot with chilled Mango slices or Mango pulp sprinkled with dry ginger powder...truly delicious!

Thanks for the suggestions Meena. Will def. try it out next time, it sounds delicious indeed. And to my knowledge, Rajgaro is Amaranth and not Buckwheat --DK

By Nimi on Oct 21, 2012

I just checked the pic of the buckwheat you have put up above, it looks just like black channa but obviously it isn't, right?

Nope, its not. You should find it in the stores by name of "Kuttu atta". I find it even in the US Indian stores under that name - so def. should be available in India esp. given that its pretty famous in Maharashtra. --DK

By janardhana on Oct 21, 2012

:-P :oops: super

By vasanthasrinivasan on Oct 21, 2012

love to try this poori. never heard of this millet so far.

By Priya on Oct 21, 2012

Healthy puri,looks great.

By Nunna on Oct 21, 2012

This recipe seems to be very interesting, but what is buckwheat called in telugu would you please tell me.

I do not have a precise info on that. Some sites mention its known as "Kuttu" in telugu too and another site mentions that its "Bukgehu". I have no idea! But this is how whole buckwheat grains look like - http://grathio.com/images/buckwheat_tea.jpg. These are ground to make the flour --DK

By Nina on Oct 20, 2012

:) super!