Why Poori Always Needs Aloo Curry (At Least for Me!)

Poori with aloo curry is not just food—it’s my love language. Don’t get me wrong, poori with veg kurma is top notch, but poori with aloo curry? That’s my forever love. If you’ve been reading my earlier posts, you already know about my potato obsession. Till today, if I order poori on a food delivery app, my note always says: “Please give aloo curry with poori. Thank you.” If I’m at a hotel or restaurant, the same words just slip out. And at home? There’s no debate—aloo curry is non-negotiable 😄.

I’m so obsessed that sometimes I actually pray until my order arrives—“Please let it be aloo curry, please not anything else!” Lol, I know it sounds mad, but I’ll happily wear the tag as long as nobody forces me to eat poori with anything else. That much love obviously comes with too many memories, but let me share two that stand out.

The first one takes me back to our cutie-pookie kitchen. Amma would sit and flatten those little dough balls into perfect discs, while my sister and I took turns frying them in oil. I can only picture her in a saree—because through my childhood (and even now), she’s always in one. No “night dress” or “home wear” at all—she has them, but all in saree versions 😅. And she has the best taste in sarees too, so much that I remember crying in saree shops as a kid, begging to go home while she happily shopped away!

Now, coming back to pooris. Amma’s pallu (the loose end of her saree) was my favorite “toy” while frying pooris. I’d stand on it almost every time, inviting scoldings. One evening, while I was dancing around and teasingly standing on it again, she wore a chiffon saree. I slipped, the hot oil almost spilled, and I burnt my fingers. Mom being mom—first scolded me, then told dad, and together they scolded me so much that I didn’t know if I was crying from the pain or their words 😅. That’s love, right? Sometimes it comes wrapped in scoldings—like a tough disguise hiding a very soft heart. If you know, you know! Still, it turned into a beautiful evening of me showing off my burnt fingers like a warrior while Amma lovingly fed me little bites of poori and aloo curry.

The second memory is from my engineering 4th year. I suddenly decided to go full “wild” and take the RTC bus instead of my college bus (32 km one way!)—mostly so I could bunk. There was this girl in my college whom I only exchanged hi-byes with for 3 years, until she too switched to RTC. Her stop came after mine, and I’d call her 5 minutes before so we could sit together. She was aeronautical engineering, I was computer science—no common ground, but she was sharp enough to help me with my subjects too.

One day, for no reason, I ended up asking her what her caste was 😐. Till today I don’t know why I asked. It’s not something I usually care about—because honestly, if I like you, I like you… not your color, caste, or anything else. She immediately replied, “I don’t like to discuss that. Why does it matter?” Poor me—so embarrassed that I just sat in silence for the rest of the ride. Things went back to normal the next day, but I felt I needed to make it up to her somehow. So one morning, I cooked poori aloo curry, packed a box, and gave it to her at college—asking her to share it with a mutual friend too.

Because that’s what love, friendship, and food do—heal little awkward moments and make memories stick forever.

Ingredients:

For Poori:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour

• ½ tsp salt

• Water (as needed)

• Oil for deep frying

For Aloo Curry (Recipe 1 – Classic Mashed Potato Style):

• 4–5 medium potatoes – boiled & mashed

• 1 large onion – sliced

• 1 inch ginger – grated

• 3–4 green chilies – slit

• Few curry leaves

• ½ tsp turmeric powder

• 1 tsp chana dal

• 1 tsp urad dal

• ½ tsp cumin seeds

• ½ tsp mustard seeds

• A pinch of hing (asafoetida)

• Salt – to taste

• Water – as needed

• 2 tbsp oil

For Aloo Curry (Recipe 2 – Besan-Thickened Potato Curry):

• 3–4 medium potatoes – cubed (raw)

• 1 onion – chopped

• 3–4 green chilies – slit

• Few curry leaves

• ½ tsp turmeric powder

• 1 tsp chana dal

• 1 tsp urad dal

• ½ tsp cumin seeds

• ½ tsp mustard seeds

• A pinch of hing (asafoetida)

• 1 tbsp besan (gram flour) mixed in ¼ cup water

• Salt – to taste

• Water – as needed

• 2 tbsp oil

Instructions:

Poori:

1. Mix wheat flour, salt, and water to make a stiff dough. Rest 15–20 minutes.

2. Divide into small balls and roll into discs (not too thin).

3. Heat oil until very hot and fry pooris one by one until golden and puffed.

Aloo Curry – Recipe 1 (Mashed Potato Style):

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add chana dal, urad dal, cumin, mustard seeds, and hing.

2. Once they splutter, add green chilies, curry leaves, and onions. Sauté until golden.

3. Add turmeric, mashed potatoes, salt, and water for consistency.

4. Simmer for a few minutes and serve hot.

Aloo Curry – Recipe 2 (Besan-Thickened):

1. Heat oil and temper with chana dal, urad dal, cumin, mustard seeds, and hing.

2. Add green chilies, curry leaves, and onions. Sauté slightly.

3. Add cubed potatoes, turmeric, salt, and cook covered until they soften a little.

4. Add some water, cover again, and cook until potatoes are tender.

5. Pour in the besan-water mixture, stir well, and cook until the curry thickens.

Srishti’s Secret Tip for the Perfect Plate:

When rolling pooris, don’t dust with dry flour—it burns in oil and spoils the taste. Instead, brush lightly with oil if needed. For the curry, mash half the potatoes completely for a creamy base and leave the rest chunky for texture.

Srishti’s Healing Tip for the Perfect Plate:

Food is not just about taste—it’s about what it carries. Poori with aloo curry, for me, carries my amma’s love, my childhood mischief, and even my attempts at making friendships stronger. Let your food hold your memories too—it heals more than your hunger.

Why You’ll Love This:

Because poori with aloo curry is simple, soulful, and always comforting. It’s the kind of food that tastes like home, no matter where you eat it. And who doesn’t love a plate that comes with puffed pooris and golden potato curry?