Rice poori (Rontons) is a delicacy of Konkanis. It is prepared from rice flour which is not roasted. Moreover the rice flour has to be finely powdered as well. Rontonsa thoy (Lentil Soup type II) is the best combination to be have had along with rice poori (rontons). Rontons ani thoy is a special dish prepared during ‘Ukkuli’ by the GSB Konkanis.This is usually had by spreading the rontons on a plate and then pouring the thoy over the rontons or it can be had by making the rontons into pieces and then pouring the thoy over it.
Now if you prepare rontons with rice flour alone which is usually the traditional recepie you are going to get hard pooris. So in some recepies in order to make them soft they add a small cup of atta or wheat flour or maida to the rice flour and then knead the flour. Pooris made of this are usually softer than the ones prepared with the rice flour alone. I have used wheat flour in my recepie.
Traditionally rontons was spread by placing the lemon size balls of the dough on banana leaf and spreading them with palm and fingers. It is time consuming to prepare them like that. Now there are modifications in the preparation that even working women can finish of the work in a jiffy and leave for their work. I have followed the easier method in my recepie below with photos.
Ingredients
You need
- 2 cups of raw finely powdered rice flour
- 1/4th cup of wheat flour (optional)
- A small spoon of jeera
- Water for kneading the dough
- Coconut oil for deep frying
- Salt to taste
Method
Take 2 cups of rice flour and 1/4th cup of wheat flour in a mixing bowl. Add jeera and salt to it and mix well. Now add water little by little and knead it to a soft and smooth dough.
Make small lemon size pieces out of the dough which are just enough to make pooris out of it.
Now take a wet towel (Better to use Kerala towels (‘Thorthu’ in Malayalam) do buy a good and clean one. See that you drain the towel off water. but remember that at the same time it should not be dry as well). Place one or two or if your towel is big enough you can place even 3 to 4 pieces of the dough on to one side of the towel.
Cover the pieces with the other end of the towel. Pease see the photograph.
Now take a flat bottomed plate and press it on top of each of the pieces. Do not press too hard or your pooris will become too thin and they will not leave easily from the towel. The chances of pooris tearing away cannot be avoided if you press too hard.
Once you have done this slowly remove the piece of cloth that you had used as cover. Below you will find round pooris.
Take them and place on a banana leaf smeared with oil or even you can use your plastic covers in which your get coconut oil. Just cut them and use as such. You need not have to smear oil if you are using them. Or take a clean plastic paper and apply oil and then spread the rontons on it. Repeat the procedure with rest of the dough.
Heat coconut oil in a kadai. I would prefer coconut oil for this than other oil for frying Rontons. Once the oil is heated you have to slowly remove the pooris from the sheet and fry them in oil. Flip over and fry to cook equally on both the sides. In between gently press the pooris while frying to make them fluffy. If you have added wheat flour you will get slightly brown pooris. Or else they will be just creamy in appearance.
Time to serve your Rice poori (Rontons).
Serve with rontonsa thoy (lentil soup type II). If you have any lemon pickle then the taste of the dish just increases.
Rontons can stay for one day without getting stale.
Tips
Some recepies use warm water in the preparation of the dough. But I have used cold water this is just to reduce the oil consumption by the poori during frying.
Rontons tastes good when fried in coconut oil.
You can even have rontons with moong dali thoy. However the very best combination is always the rontonsa thoy (lentil soup type II)
