Puran Poli My Food Story

on Aug 29, 2022 It’s not a festive spread without a plate of piping hot puran polis, am I right? With Ganesh Chaturthi right around the corner, I wanted to share all my tips and tricks to making the softest, most fragrant puran polis for you to add to your festive menus!  Puran means stuffing and poli means roti, and this dish is essentially roti stuffed with a sweet lentil mixture. Jaggery, cardamom, and saffron are added to cooked chana dal and stirred together on a low flame until well combined into a thick mixture. This mixture is then mashed and then added to rolled dough which is then shaped and cooked on the tava until browned.  There’s some technique involved with shaping and rolling the dough but you get the hang of it quite quickly and you’ll soon have a big batch of these sweet flatbreads ready.   Puran poli originates from Maharashtra, but there are many versions of this dish across India like the obbattu/holige in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and bobbatlu in Andhra Pradesh. The ingredient combination is similar but what sets these variants apart is the thickness of the flatbread and the types of lentils used. The popularity of this sweet flatbread across the country is a testament to its delicious flavour that’s loved by all those who try it.  If you’re starting to plan your Ganesh Chaturthi thalis, this puran poli has got to be one of the dishes you make!

Ingredients You’ll Need

Whole Wheat Flour (Atta) – the base of the dough, just as you would use for traditional roti or parathaMaida – I like to add maida to my dough because I’ve found that it makes for softer polis Ghee – a key ingredient/topping for this recipe. We add this to the dough when kneading and to the finished polis for that glossy finish and the most indulgent flavor. Water – to form the dough Chana dal – we want to start with cooked chana dal for this recipe which is later mashed for the best consistency. Chana dal is specific to Maharashtrian puran poli, but you can also use toor dal (used for Obbattu!)Jaggery – powdered jaggery works best here, this is for the sweetness and light caramel notesCardamom – finely crushed cardamom or powdered cardamom for fragranceSaffron – a little goes a long way with saffron, and I just love using this when making traditional Indian sweets at home

How to make Puran Poli

Here’s a quick step by step showing you how to make puran poli at home:

1. Wash chana dal and then soak it in water for 30 minutes. Drain the water and then pressure cook chana dal in 2 Cups water till soft. This takes 25 minutes in the Instant Pot.2. Allow the p[ressure to release naturally.
2. Once the chana dal is cooked, strain all the excess water. You can use the water the next time you are kneading dough or mix it in curry or dal.
3. In a pan, heat 1 Tablespoon ghee and add the cooked chana dal.
4. Using a masher or the back of a spatula, mash the dal till completely broken down.
5. Add jaggery, soaked saffron and cardamom powder. Mix well, and cook this mixture till it thickens.
6. Use a masher to ensure there are no lumps.
7. The mixture is fully cooked once the it starts to come together in a bowl. Set aside to cool completely.
8. While the dal is cooking, mix together atta, maida and salt in a large bowl. Then add water little by little and knead it.
9. Ensure to knead it into a soft, supple dough.
10. Cover and set aside for 20-30 minutes.
11. When ready to roll out the puran poli, take a golf ball sized piece of dough. Form into a bowl, flatten it slightly and dust both sides with flour. Roll this out till approx 3.5 inches in diameter.
12. Place a heaped tablespoon of chana dal filling in the centre.
13. Scrunch the edges together till they completely cover the chana dal.15. Dust the ball again with flour. This will prevent it from sticking to the surface.
14. Roll it out as thin as possible. Set aside.
15. To cook the puran polis, heat the tava and place the rolled out puran poli on it. Cook it till you start seeing bubbles appear on the surface.
16. Flip it over and smear it with ghee. Cook for a minute or two and then flip it on the other side. Smear with ghee.
17. Cook both sides till nice and golden brown. Serve hot topped with more ghee. Repeat with the rest of the dough and filling.

Richa’s Top Tricks

Filling Ideas

You can add grated coconut or desiccated coconut to the chana dal mixture for a nice nutty flavour that works really well here – it’s a common filling in the Karnataka style preparation. Another great filling idea is to dry roast some nuts: cashews, raisins, almonds and grind them and add to the chana dal mixture.

It feels so rewarding to cook and put together a festive menu for your family and friends and this puran poli will make your Ganesh Chaturthi even sweeter (pun intended!).  I hope you’re enjoying the festive recipes series so far, stay tuned for more ideas and inspo from me to get those serving platters ready! 

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