Phulkas or Pulkas are nothing but Indian bread cooked with no fat. Pulkas have always been intimidating to me and I just did not think they would rise up like a balloon at home. So when my friend bought me the grill for making Pulkas I wanted to start making them. Had a few unsuccessful attempts but after that it has been a breeze. Pulkas are healthy because they are made with wheat and with no fat and I am all for healthy cooking. My mom was surprised when she heard me talk about pulkas since we have never done it back home and so were my sisters. So I am posting this for my people back home.
Ingredients
2 cups Wheat flour
Salt
Water
Yields around 12 pulkas
Method
Make the dough using water. Knead the dough well. I use a food processor but we can also make the dough with hands. The dough needs to rest for atleast 30 min and the more it rests the better.
Divide the dough into 12 balls. Roll out each ball into a thin circle. Now it does not matter if you do not get a perfect circle. We just need to roll out into an even surface with no cracks. This is important for the pulka to rise.
Place it on a hot tawa/griddle.
Turn it to the other side quickly. We just want white patches like this as we will be cooking this side again over the flame.
The second side has to be cooked longer on the tawa. When you see bumps like this it is time to turn and put it directly over the flame. I place the grill over the flame and put the pulka on the grill.
Can you see it start rising.
Rising more.
Finally a balloon. There it is. Enjoy the no fat healthy pulkas with a side dish of choice.
Enjoy!
Tips
1. I repeat if there is any tear or cracks the pulka is not going to rise properly.
2. Pulkas tend to dry out soon. So keep them covered until ready to eat. If you are not watching calories then you can apply a little bit of ghee when the pulkas are done. This will help to keep it soft.