Puran Poli

Make Puran

1. Wash the chana daal 2-3 times. Drain and add daal and water to a heavy bottomed pot. Let the daal cook on medium-low heat for an hour or 2, stirring few times. Remove any white foam that may rise up.
2. Drain all the water using a strainer (save the water to make Katachi Aamti, see recipe below). Put the daal back in the pot. Add jaggery, sugar, nutmeg powder, cardamom powder, dry ginger powder and saffron to the daal. Mix well, and cook stirring frequently for 10-15 minutes on medium heat.Tip: To see the doneness of the Puran, perform the spatula test: move the Puran to the center of the pan, then insert a wooden spatula. If the spatula stands upright on its own, the puran has reached the right consistency. This is a reliable way to check if it’s cooked perfectly.
3. Cool down the cooked mixture for 5 minutes and then blend it to a smooth consistency in a food processor or a blender. Make sure to blend while the mixture is warm and blend in batches if needed.

Dough for outer covering

1. Knead a soft, pliable dough using whole wheat flour, salt, saffron, water, and oil. This dough should be softer than your typical roti or paratha dough to achieve a soft and flaky Puran Poli. Adjust the water as needed, since the amount can vary depending on the flour brand you use. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.

Rolling Puran Poli

1. Form small balls of both the dough and the stuffing, making sure they are the same size. I typically make mine about the size of a lemon. With the ingredients we have, this usually yields 8-10 balls of each.
2. Heat a heavy griddle or pan over medium-high heat. Roll out a dough ball into a 4-5 inch circle using the reserved dry wheat flour. Place the stuffing in the center of the dough, then fold the edges over the filling to seal it. Coat the stuffed dough ball with dry flour, covering all sides, and gently flatten it in your hands. Roll out the dough lightly with additional flour as needed, adjusting the thickness to your liking. I usually roll mine thin to about 8-10 inches in diameter.

Cooking

1. Gently place the rolled Poli onto the heated pan. Cook evenly on both sides until it achieves a perfect golden-brown color. Add a small amount of ghee to each side as it cooks. Serve with additional ghee on top. Traditionally, we serve puran poli with warm milk flavored with cardamom and saffron.