Maharashtrian Puran Poli

This Melt-in mouth sweet flat bread is prepared with the soft dough of whole wheat flour with a delicious filling prepared with cooked chana dal, grated jaggery and is flavoured with Saffron, powdered nutmeg, green cardamom and mace. Puran is the succulent sweet filling and Poli is the Flat bread. Cooked / baked on both the sides it has the goodness of loads of desi ghee.  It is usually prepared during festivals like Gudi Padwa, Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali and Holi.

 

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Resting Time for dough: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 25 minutes

Makes: 14 Baby Puran Polis

Ingredients and Quantity:

For the Puran / filling:

Skinned Spilt Bengal Gram (Chana Dal), cooked- 2 Cups

Jaggery , grated- 1 1/4^th Cup

Saffron- a pinch

Clarified butter (Tup , Desi Ghee)- 1 ½ tbsp.

Nutmeg Powder- 1/4^th tsp.

Dry Ginger Powder- 1/4^th tsp.

Green Cardamom Powder- ½ tsp.

For the Dough for poli:

Whole Wheat Flour- 2 cups

Clarified butter (Tup , Desi Ghee)- 1/4th tbsp.

Salt- 1/4^th tsp.

Water- as required

Whole Wheat Flour / Rice Flour for dusting- As required

Clarified butter (Tup , Desi Ghee)– as required for baking.

For covering the dough:

Muslin cloth, moist- 1/4^th metre

Method:

In a Parat, mix whole wheat flour, salt, ghee and mix well using your fingertips.

Add a little water and prepare soft dough as for chappatis.

Cover it with a moist muslin cloth and set aside for 30 minutes.

In a glass bowl, mix the soft cooked dal from which the entire water is drained off…. do not discard the water it may be used to prepare the Amti,

To the cooked dal, add grated jaggery and mix well. Add ghee in a pan and cook until jaggery is dissolved and combines completely with dal i.e. like a soft ball.

Simmer the heat and cook the mixture until it starts to leave the sides of the pan and is gelled nicely.

Add nutmeg powder, dry ginger powder, cardamom powder and saffron. Mix well.

Remove the filling from flame and transfer it in a flat steel tray and let it cool completely.

Divide the filling and dough both separately into 14 equal parts.

Dust and roll the dough balls to make a 3 inch circles.

Keep a filling ball in the centre of the rolled poli and bring the ends and edges together.

Dust and roll again to make a 5 inch circle.

Heat a griddle and place the Puran Poli on the griddle.

Cook / Bake on both the sides until brown spots appear.

Apply ghee on both the sides and press the Puran Poli using back of a flat wooden spoon and cook until golden brown from both the sides.

Prepare all the Puran Polis in the same manner.

Apply the desi ghee generously on top and serve it with Katachi Amti or cold milk.

Chef Tips:

• You may add fennel powder in the stuffing, if desired.
• Usually people prepare the dough with refined flour but I personally suggest using whole wheat flour.
• You may add a little turmeric powder / saffron in the dough, if desired.
• You may store the Puran Polis for a week in the refrigerator, you need to warm it on a hot griddle and apply desi ghee and serve as and when required.