Puran poli is the festive sweet bread of Maharashtra, made for Holi, Gudi Padwa, Ganesh Chaturthi and Pola, the bullock festival. Chana dal is cooked with jaggery until it becomes a thick, fragrant paste called puran, which is wrapped in a very soft dough and rolled thin. Karnataka has obbattu, Gujarat has vedmi, but the Maharashtrian poli is known for being paper-thin.
The dough is made very soft and pliable with plenty of oil, often with maida mixed into wheat flour so it stretches without tearing. Inside, the puran is sweet, smooth and perfumed with cardamom and nutmeg. Each poli is roasted dry on a tawa until speckled and then brushed with ghee.
It is eaten warm with a generous pour of ghee or with a cup of milk. The dal water is never thrown away: it becomes katachi amti, a thin, spiced dal served alongside. Making puran poli is a family effort and a skill passed down through generations. Leftover polis are often eaten the next morning.
At a glance
| Region | Maharashtra |
|---|---|
| Cuisine | Maharashtrian |
| Diet | Vegetarian |
| Course | Dessert |
| Prep time | 40 minutes |
| Cook time | 60 minutes |
| Total time | 100 minutes |
| Serves | 6 |
| Spice level | Mild |
| Difficulty | Hard |
| Gluten-free | No |
| Key ingredients | chana dal / jaggery / wheat flour / ghee |
Ingredients
For the puran
- 1 cup (200 g) chana dal, soaked 2 hours
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup (200 g) grated jaggery
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
- 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
- 1 tsp ghee
For the dough
- 1 cup (120 g) fine whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup (60 g) maida
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- A pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup oil
- Water as needed
For rolling and roasting
- Rice flour for dusting
- Ghee to serve
Method
- Make the dough: mix flours, turmeric and salt, add water gradually and knead to a very soft, sticky dough. Pour 2 tbsp oil over it and knead for 5 minutes until it absorbs. Add the rest of the oil, cover and rest for at least 1 hour.
- Pressure cook the soaked chana dal with 3 cups water for 3-4 whistles until it mashes easily between your fingers but is not mushy.
- Drain the dal in a colander for 10 minutes, saving the water for katachi amti.
- Put the dal and jaggery in a heavy pan on medium heat. The jaggery will melt and make it loose. Stir continuously for 15-20 minutes until it thickens; it is ready when a spoon stands upright in the centre.
- Add sugar, cardamom, nutmeg and ghee. While still hot, pass the mixture through a puran yantra or mash smooth with a masher. Cool completely, then divide into 12 balls.
- Oil your hands, take a lemon-sized piece of dough, flatten it into a cup and place a puran ball (about twice the dough's size) inside. Bring the edges up, seal and pinch off excess dough.
- Dust generously with rice flour and roll gently, without pressing hard, into a thin 8-inch circle. Rotate often and dust again if it sticks.
- Roast on a medium-hot tawa for about 1 minute until light brown spots appear underneath, flip and roast the other side. Do not add ghee while roasting. Brush with ghee and serve warm.
Tips
- If the puran is not cooked thick enough, it will ooze out while rolling. Do the spoon test before turning off the heat.
- A very soft, well-oiled dough is the key to thin polis; rest it for at least an hour.
- Polis keep for 2-3 days and can be warmed on a tawa.
Serve with
A spoon of ghee, warm milk, or katachi amti on the side.