I decided to make puran poli because after sharing my dhalpuri recipe, there was so much feed back about how this Trinidadian chana dal filled roti was similar to another Indian flatbread, this one a dessert. Puran Poli is also called Holige, Obbattu, or Bobbattlu, is an Indian sweet flatbread that originates from Southern India. Puran Poli is very popular the Indian state of Maharashtra and Karnataka, a state in southwest India on all occasions, like during Holi, festival of colour, or Yugadi/Ugadi, New Year’s Day according to the Hindu calendar.
Puran Poli
Puran Poli is filled with sweetened chana dal, flavoured with cardamom! I used dark brown sugar in this recipe but jaggery is normally used (traditional non-centrifugal cane sugar consumed in the Indian Subcontinent).
Ingredients
Filling
- 1/2 cup chana dal
- 1 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar or jaggery
- 1/2 tablespoon ghee
- 1/4 -1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
- pinch nutmeg optional
- small pinch salt
Dough
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/8 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoon oil
- water as needed
- For frying and rolling
- all purpose flour
- ghee for frying
Instructions
Make filling
- Since your chana dal and soak overnight.
- The next day, boil your chana dal until very very soft and water evaporates.
- When water starts to get low, you will have to stir periodically to that is does not burn. You want your chana dal to be very well cooked and turn into a very thick soup like consistency.
- Transfer your cooked, mushy chana dal into a large pan and cook on low to remove more mosture and mash more with the back of your wooden spoon. If you want your chana dal filling to be extra extra smooth, you can place in food processor and strain before placing in shallow pan to remove more moisture.
- When your chana dal thicken significantly and is mashed, you want it to be a soft mashed potato consistency, add your jaggery or dark brown sugar and pinch of salt.
- It will become looser as the sugar melts and carmelizes. Stir consistently.
- Add your ghee and keep stirring until your filling thickens.
- Add your cardamom and mix in. Remove when filing is thick and all ingredients are well mixed. It will firm up further when it cools.
- Set aside, cover and let cool completely.
- When your filling is cool, divide into six even pieces and roll into compact smooth balls.
Make Dough
- Mix all the ingredients of your dough together and add water, a little at a time until you achieve a dough, that is soft, and easily dented with a finger. Knead until it is smooth, at least 10 minutes.
- Let dough rest for 2 hours, covered
- After 2 hours, divide the dough into 6 pieces and roll each of the 6 pieces into balls.
- Cover your rolled out balls and let rest for an additional 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, on a flour surface, roll out each ball and place a round piece of filling on the dough and pinch closed like a dumplings.
- Flatten into a thick disk and set aside, covered with a. clean dish towel until ready to roll out.
- When all your dough pieces are filled, on a floured surface and using a flour rolling pin, roll out your disk into thin rounds. Do not roll out your dough too thin or you risk breaking your puran puli and filling coming out. I roll out my disks right before frying.
- To fry, heat up a frying pan and place a small amount of ghee in pan and fry your puran poli for about 30 to a minutes seconds on one side, flip and fry on the other side add more ghee as necessary. The puran poli should puff up a lot and you can use a spatula to flatten it. There should be golden brown spots on either side of your puran poli.
- Remove from the frying pan and enjoy hot! I love mine served with a glass of cold milk.
