Puran Poli
Puran poli is a soft and flaky sweet flatbread. It is a very popular Maharashtrian delicacy made with jaggery and lentil stuffing.
Ingredients
For Puran/Stuffing
- 1 cup Chana dal/Split chickpeas
- 3/4 cup Jaggery
- 1/4 cup Sugar +1.5 tsp
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg powder
- 1/2 tsp Cardamom powder
- 6-7 Saffron strands
- 1 pinch Salt
- 2 drops Oil
For Dough/Cover
- 1/2 cup Maida/All purpose flour
- 2 tbsp Wheat flour
- 3 tbsp Rice flour
- 1 pinch Salt
- 3 tbsp Oil
Instructions
For Puran/Stuffing
- Triple wash and soak the chana dal in 1.5 cup of water for 2 hours.
- In a pressure cooker, add soaked chana dal with the same water by adding 1-2 drops of oil and cook it for 3 whistles. Lower the heat and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Once the pressure is released, transfer the dal to a strainer to drain the water. Keep it aside for 10 minutes.
- In a pan, add dal, jaggery, and sugar. Let it cook for 5-6 minutes on a medium heat stirring constantly.
- Add nutmeg powder, cardamom powder, saffron stands, and a pinch of salt. Let the mixture cook for 2-3 minutes and lower the heat. Cook for another 2-3 minutes or until the mixture is a little dry. Another way to check the puran is to insert the spatula in the center and check if it is standing vertically without falling.
- Transfer the puran little at a time in a strainer and keep one large bowl beneath it. Press the dal mixture with a serving spoon to get a soft and mashed puran. Separate the coarse dal.
- Mix all the soft puran mixture to form a dough. Cover and set it aside.
For Dough/Cover
- In a large bowl, add maida, wheat flour, salt, and mix well. Now slowly add 3.5 tbsp water and 1 tsp oil and knead the dough. Add ½ tbsp water and 1 tsp oil and keep kneading the dough for 2 minutes. The dough will be sticky.
- Once you form the dough, transfer it on a clean platform or use a wide and big plate. Add 1 tsp water and 1 tsp oil and keep on kneading the dough. Repeat the same process by adding another 1 tsp of each water and oil. The more the dough is mixed, the more gluten is developed. It helps the dough to become elastic and stretchy. You may wait for 1-2 minutes if you can not handle kneading the dough.
- Knead the dough by stretching and pushing. Keep adding some oil while kneading. Keep on kneading the dough for a total of 12 minutes.
- Take a small portion from the dough and spread it with your fingers - it should be without tearing in the middle, soft, and stretchy.
- Once you form a dough, add leftover oil and cover it. Keep it aside for 2 hours.
Making Puran Poli
- Knead the dough for 30 seconds, make 8 equal balls, and keep them aside. Make 8 equal balls of puran as well.
- Take a dough ball, spread it with your fingers, and stuff the puran. Slide the dough upwards and keep pushing the puran slowly inside the dough with your fingers. Completely cover the puran with a dough and pinch the edge to seal.
- Meanwhile, preheat a non stick flat griddle on medium heat.
- Line a few papers on a countertop for transferring the cooked roti.
- Sprinkle some rice flour on a work surface, flatten the stuffed dough gently, and sprinkle some flour on the top. Flatten the dough with your fingers carefully. It should be around 3-4 inches in circumference. This helps the puran reach the edges while rolling the poli.
- Roll out a dough into a thin roti with a rolling pin around 7-8 inches in circumference. You can dust some rice flour if required.
- Lift the roti slightly and carefully roll it over a rolling pin halfway. Slowly transfer it on a hot griddle. It helps to transfer the roti easily without breaking apart.
- Let the roti cook until you see small bubbles on the top. Next, flip it to the other side and let it cook till you see light brown spots.
- Flip the roti again and cook for another minute, remove it from the griddle, and transfer it on a paper.
- Roll the rest of the rotis and cook them in the same manner. Keep space between the cooked puran poli and let them cool down completely.
- Stack up the puran polis one over another or fold them into half in an airtight container.
Notes
- Make sure not to cook the puran too dry - it will not spread till the ends of the roti when you roll it.
- Prepare a very soft and stretchable dough. It is very important to make a perfect dough for making soft puran poli.
- Make sure to add enough oil as recommended to achieve a perfectly soft and flaky puran poli.
- You can make the dough when you are cooking the dal to save some time as it needs to be rested for 2 hours.
- Be careful while rolling the puran poli as it will be too delicate to handle. If you make a perfect puran and the dough, you will be able to handle it better.