Chef’s Tips

Puris are deep-fried puffy breads. They are sold already fried in Indian grocery and snack shops, and come either flattened or puffed. Mira Advani bought her puris (as well as the chutneys and other ingredients needed for the Sev Puri at India Sweets & Spices, 9409 Venice Blvd., Culver City. Several shops along Pioneer Boulevard in Artesia’s Little India sell puris, as do many Indian stores throughout Southern California.

In addition, Indian snack and sweet shops sell all sorts of nut and snack mixes--spiced cashews, for instance, and crunchy bhel mix, which, along with potatoes and chutney, fill fried puris.