Farali Palak Poori - delicious deep-fried Indian flatbread prepared with fresh spinach, spice powders, green chillies and gluten-free farali flours (amaranth, water chestnut and barnyard millet). I use mashed potato to help bind the poori.

on overhead view of a stack of puffed up green coloured poori.

Farali Palak Poori That Puff Up Perfectly Every Time

Guys, I have the perfect recipe for fasting season.

Soft, fluffy pooris with a subtle spinach flavour, made using a mix of farali flours and a simple potato and spinach base. I've taken inspiration from my palak poori recipe and made it fasting friendly.

I’ve tested this method a few times, and what really makes the difference is the dough. It’s kneaded stiff using just the moisture from the spinach puree, which helps the pooris puff up beautifully while staying soft inside.

They’re light, flavourful, and a really nice change from the usual fasting options. Simple ingredients, but put together in a way that just works.

I like to serve these hot with something saucy like farali dum aloo where the pooris can soak up all that flavour. For something drier, a potato and peanut farali bhaji works really well with farali rajgira kadhi on the side. If I’m making it into a full meal, my family love a bowl of makhana kheer on the side to balance everything out.

Hayley x

Farali Palak Poori, these utterly delicious deep-fried Indian flatbread are prepared with fresh spinach, few basic spices and gluten-free farali flours (amaranth, water chestnut and Barnyard millet).

My Top Tips for perfectly puffy palak poori

When you knead the dough, don't add any extra water. Water in spinach puree is sufficient enough.
Knead the dough very stiff and start making poori immediately. If you leave the dough for some time, the moisture of the spinach puree will make the dough softer.
When you roll pooris, dust very tiny amount of dry flour on a worktop to avoid sticking it on the worktop and not to roll puris very thin.
Fry on medium heat, so pooris won't go totally dark in colour. You will see some brown spots, this is normal.
Do not overcrowd the kadai while frying these poori.

Step by Step Method

Boil the potatoes until soft, then allow them to cool completely before peeling. I’ve found using fully cooled potatoes helps prevent the dough from becoming sticky later.

Cook the spinach in the microwave with just 2–3 tablespoons of water for a couple of minutes, until wilted. Avoid adding too much water here, as excess moisture will make the dough harder to handle.

Add the boiled potatoes, cooked spinach, ginger and green chillies to a grinder and blend into a smooth purée. I don’t add any extra water at this stage - the moisture from the spinach is usually enough.

In a wide plate or parat, combine the flour and salt. Add the spinach and potato purée along with a little oil or ghee, and start bringing it together.

flour, spinach puree and oil is added to a round metal tray.

Knead into a stiff dough, without adding any additional water. It might feel slightly firm, but I’ve found this gives the best texture for puris and helps them puff nicely.

green coloured kneaded dough in a steel plate.

Divide the dough into small, even lime-sized portions. Lightly dust with flour and roll into rounds, keeping them slightly thick rather than too thin so they hold their shape when frying.

a small round disc of green dough for poori.

Heat oil in a kadai until properly hot. To test, drop in a small piece of dough - it should rise to the surface quickly. Carefully slide in a rolled puri and gently press it down with a slotted spoon to help it puff.

Flip once, and fry until both sides are lightly golden. Keeping the oil at the right temperature is key—too hot and they brown too quickly, too low and they won’t puff well.

Remove as soon as they turn a light golden brown and drain excess oil.

These farali palak poori, like most other poori recipes, are best served immediately.

a stack of puffed green farali palak poori on a white plate.

As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!

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