Easy Puran Poli Recipe

Master the Art of Making Puran Polis: A Culinary Trip to India’s Traditional Cuisine

Be it Holi, Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali, or any other festival, the celebrations are incomplete without the delicious and wholesome Puran Poli. Ask any Maharashtrian, and they will attest to that. Interestingly, Puran Poli is one dish prepared in many other parts of India but has different names. For instance, Maharashtra’s Puran Poli is called Bobbatlu in Andra and Holige in Karnataka.
When you take a bite of freshly made Puran Poli, the sweet richness will not only please your tastebuds but also warm your heart! We can go on and on about how a Puran Poli can make you feel right at home, but we have something better for you: an easy-to-make and authentic-to-taste Puran Poli recipe. Let’s get cooking!

Puran Poli Recipe in English

Puran is a Marathi word that translates to sweet stuffing, and Poli is a flatbread. It is a bread stuffed with a delicious, sweet filling. Before you ask, the key difference between Maharashtrian Puran Poli and the Puran Poli from South Indian regions is the preparation of the poli, i.e., the flatbread. We will mention the different variations as we give you step-by-step cooking instructions for the Puran Poli. So you can try whichever one you like!

Puran Poli Ingredients

For the stuffing or Puran, you will need these ingredients. The measurements will give you around 12 Puran Polis. You can adjust based on your requirements. 

What you need overall.
Chana dal / Bengal gram - 2 cups
Water - 6 cups
Ghee - 4 teaspoons
Jaggery - 2 cups
Ginger powder - 2 teaspoon
Cardamom powder - 1 teaspoon
Nutmeg powder - ¼ or ⅕ teaspoon (optional)
Fennel powder - 1 teaspoon

You will need the following ingredients for kneading the dough of the poli or flatbread.
Whole wheat flour - 3 cups
All-purpose flour - 1 cup
Turmeric powder - ⅕ teaspoon (optional)
Salt - 1 teaspoon 
Water - as required for kneading the dough
Ghee - 8 tablespoons for kneading and as required for roasting the Puran Poli
Oil - if you need it for roasting instead of ghee

Step 1: Prepare the Stuffing for the Puran Poli

Whether you make Puran Poli, Bobbatlu, Obbattu or Holige, you can follow the same steps to make the stuffing.
→ Rinse the chana dal well and cook it in a pressure cooker with the water for 6 to 7 whistles. The chana dal should be soft but not mushy. 
→ Once cooked, strain the water carefully and keep the chana dal aside.
→ Heat some ghee in the frying pan or kadai. Add the spices like ginger powder, cardamom powder, nutmeg powder, and fennel powder to the ghee. You can skip the ginger powder for making Bobbatlu.
→ Stir the spices only for a few seconds.
→ Add the boiled chana dal and jaggery.
→ Mix well and let it cook. Do stir in between and keep the heat medium-low so the mixture does not stick to the pan.
→ Once the mixture is dry, turn off the heat. 
→ Use a potato masher to mash the chana dal mixture very well. 
→ Let it cool down, and start working on the dough! 

Step 2: Prepare the Dough for the Puran Poli

This step of the Puran Poli recipe is quite easy!
→ Take a mixture bowl. Put the whole wheat flour and the all-purpose flour. Here, you can use only wheat flour if you want to make Andhra-style Bobbatlu or only all-purpose flour if you want to make Obbattu or Holige, as they are made in Karnataka. 
→ Add the salt and turmeric and give it a good mix. The turmeric adds a nice yellow colour to the Puran Poli. However, Bobbatlu does not have any turmeric.
→ Pour in the ghee.
→ Start kneading and keep adding water as needed. You will need a smooth and soft dough. Allow it to rest for 15 to 20 minutes. 

Step 3: Make the Puran Poli

The dough and the stuffing are ready. You can start making the Puran Polis.
→ Divide the dough into 12 balls. Feel free to make the polis bigger or smaller as you like. We suggest you make the dough balls medium to large and not small so you can stuff them well.
→ Roll out each ball into small flatbreads or spread them with your hand.
→ Keep a good amount of Puran mixture in the middle of the dough. Join and pinch the edges. 
→ Carefully roll the stuffed dough balls into flatbreads. Dust the rolling pin with some flour for easy rolling. 
→ Meanwhile, heat a tawa or griddle. 
→ Add some ghee. You can opt for oil, but ghee will give a richer taste. 
→ Place the Puran Poli on the pan. Leave for some seconds and turn when one side gets a slight golden crust. Cook the Puran Poli on both sides until it gets a nice golden brown colour. Press them down gently with a spatula so all sides puff nicely, and brush or apply a bit of ghee as needed. 
→ Place a kitchen napkin or parchment paper at the bottom of a casserole or bread basket and stack the Puran Polis on each other. The napkin will prevent the Puran Poli at the bottom from sagging. 

Step 4: Serve the Puran Poli

Puran Polis tastes the best when hot. You get a bit of crunch from the browning spots on the flatbread, and the stuffing inside is soft and syrupy. You can serve Puran Poli as it is. Or else, pair it with some curd, milk, or luscious aamras! 

Here are some pro tips when you try this Puran Poli recipe!
→ Soak the chana dal for 30 minutes before putting it on the heat to lessen the cooking time. If you haven’t soaked the dal beforehand, you can soak the dal and prepare the dough. When the dough is ready, the dal will be soaked well. 
→ Start making the stuffing as the dough rests. 
→ It’s okay if the Puran Poli tears a bit while rolling. Just dust with flour and roll gently. 
→ The colour of the stuffing may be different based on the type of jaggery you are using. Use light-coloured jaggery if you don’t want a dark colour on your Puran Polis. 

Conclusion

Puran Polis are not only for special occasions. Many love to have them on breakfasts and snacks. Even though it is a sweet dish, it is a hot favourite for breakfast along with its several nutritious benefits. Make Puran Polis fresh and serve them, or prepare the stuffing beforehand, store it for up to a week, and fry Puran Polis whenever you or your loved one crave it. With this simple Puran Poli recipe, your festival spread is sorted, as well as your any-day appetite! 

FAQs

1. Is Puran Poli vegan?

Almost all ingredients used in making Puran Poli, besides the ghee, are vegan. You can replace ghee with any vegetable oil or vegan substitute and make completely vegan Puran Polis.

2. Can I grind the stuffing in a mixture grinder?

You can use a mixture grinder to mash the stuffing. However, once cooked, the chana dal becomes extremely soft. You can easily mash it in the same cooking pan using a masher or spoon.