Puran Poli (Sweet Flatbread – Indian)

Puran poli is another of my favorite sweets. It is prepared for festivals and special occasions. However, I like to make extra stuffing (purnam/puran) to be used even later 🙂 . Traditional ways of making puran poli/boli use a stuffing of:
a)     Coconut and Jaggery
b)     Coconut and White Sugar
c)     Lentils/Dal (usually split Bengal gram) and Jaggery 

Mine is a twist on the traditional ones 🙂 as usual … I use whole wheat flour (aata) that we use for chapattis/parathas. Also, for the stuffing, I use equal portions of dal and coconut along with jaggery. This makes the puran poli soft though I use whole wheat flour rather than plain flour (maida) and less oil/ghee. 

It is my entry for the SWEET SERIES event by Mythreyee.

Ingredients: 
Whole wheat flour: 2 cups
Turmeric (haldi) powder: a pinch
Cooking oil: 1 teaspoon
Ghee for making polis 

For the stuffing:
Bengal gram split (Chana Dal): ½ cup
Grated Coconut: ½ cup
Jaggery (Gud) or brown sugar: ¾ cup
Cardamom powder: a pinch 

Method:

1. Soak the dal for 1 hour in water. The water level should be just above the dal. Then, pressure cook the dal for about 2-3 whistles – till just cooked soft but not too runny.
2. In case there is water left after cooking, drain in a colander. Extra water can be used in rasam/sambar/dal.
3. Mash the dal well so that no dal chunks are left.
4. In a heavy-bottomed vessel, melt the jaggery in ¼ cup of water (I use the water drained from the dal.)
5. Once the jaggery is completely dissolved, turn off the heat and set aside to allow settling of any particles. After about 2-3 minutes, filter the solution to remove any foreign particles.
6. Rinse the vessel and pour the jaggery solution back to the vessel and place on heat to boil.
7. Once the jaggery solution boils, add the cardamom powder to it and mix.
8. Add the grated coconut and mashed dal to the solution. Mix well so that all the grated coconut and dal is coated with jaggery.
9. Cook on low heat with frequent stirring till the stuffing comes together as a rough dry mass.
10. Take of the heat and cool. The stuffing is now ready.



11. For the dough, mix the wheat flour with the turmeric powder. Add the oil and mix.
12. Knead the wheat flour while gradually adding the required amount of water (you may use around a cup of water) to make a soft pliable dough. You may use warm water for better results. Set the dough aside for about 20-30 minutes.
13. Divide the dough into balls – about the size of a large lemon.
14. Take a ball and roll out to a 4 inch disc. Place a spoonful of the sweet stuffing (purnam).
15. Bring the edges together to completely cover the stuffing. The edges should overlap slightly to seal the stuffing.
16. Gently flatten the filled ball. Dust with flour and roll out to a flat disc of about 6-7 inches. Take care that the stuffing does not burst out.
17. Heat a tava (griddle). Roast the puran polis on medium heat till done on both the sides. You can use a little ghee to grease the polis while cooking.
18. Puran poli is ready to be enjoyed 🙂 . You may smear with ghee while serving.