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Puran Poli recipe | How to make Maharashtrian Puran poli

Name: Puran Poli recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 2 cup Chana dal; ¼ tsp Turmeric powder; ¼ tsp Salt; 6 cup Water; 2 cup Whole wheat flour; ¼ tsp Salt; ½ tbsp oil; Water (to knead a soft and smooth dough); 2 cup crushed jaggery or gud; ¼ tsp Ginger powder (optional); 1 tsp Cardamom powder; Oil or ghee (for frying on Puran poli); Dry flour (for dusting)

Puran Poli recipe is an Indian flatbread stuffed with sweet lentil filling made from cooked chana dal (split Bengal gram dal) with jaggery. It is served hot or warm with a dollop of ghee or even with mango pickles. But, I love eating hot Puran poli with spicy katachi amti – the stock that is strained from cooked chana dal. For the outer layer, usually, maida or plain flour is used to roll a thin layer. But, I have used regular wheat flour to make it healthy yet the texture achieved is soft.

Puran poli is a popular Maharashtrian sweet flatbread recipe which is prepared on special occasions or during festive seasons like Holi, Diwali, Gudi padwa or Ganesh Chaturthi. Other popular Maharashtrian recipes that are made during festive seasons are Modak, Puran Poli, Til gud poli, nariyal ladoo and many delicious other recipes.

Traditionally, the sweet stuffing was made using chana dal and jaggery. But, it can also be made using brown sugar or plain white sugar. I prefer using jaggery as it gives a nice aroma to the stuffing and tastes delicious. If you are using jaggery, make sure it is dirt free. Sometimes it contains stone particulars and if used for making Puran, it will ruin the taste of Puran poli. And might get stuck in your teeth. If you are not sure if jaggery is pure, you can melt the jaggery in water and then strain it with a muslin cloth. All the debris will be strained out and then you can use the jaggery.

Variations for making Puran poli

Puran poli is mainly made using maida or refined flour to get the thin layer of the outer covering. But, you can even use wheat flour to make this recipe. Many prefer to use both the flours in 1:1 ratio. In this recipe, I am using only whole wheat flour to make Puran poli.
As I already said, You can use jaggery or brown sugar or regular white sugar. You can even use half jaggery and half sugar. It still tastes good without compromising with the taste.
When I make it on festive occasions, I prefer to add a pinch of turmeric while kneading the flour as well as while pressure cooking chana dal. It looks more appealing.
In Gujarat, the same recipe is made using toor dal instead of chana dal. The process remains the same.
In some regions of Konkan, people even add grated coconut to the sweet stuffing or Puran.
I prefer adding half a teaspoon of both cardamom powder and nutmeg powder. It enhances both aroma as well as the flavour of Puran poli.
You can even add a pinch of ginger powder to the stuffing as per your likings.

What to serve with Puran poli?

First and foremost thing is, kids love it without any accompaniment. I just roll the warm (not so hot) Puran poli and hand it to my kiddo. He loves it more than anything.
In Maharashtra, it is served with my favourite Katachi amti or batata bhaji or with a bowl of warm milk. Once the Puran poli is cooked, it is topped with a generous amount of ghee and then served with all other accompaniment.
Many people like it with pickles. Usually, it is packed with a piece of mango or lemon pickle when packed in Tiffin box for lunch.
Whereas, in Gujarat, it is served with Gujarati kadhi along with any dry sabji or batata sabji.

Tips to make best Puran poli

The dough should be kneaded soft and smooth just as it is kneaded for making chapati. Add some ghee while kneading the dough, to make poli flaky and crispy.
For making thin outer layer just like you get from stores, use only maida or all-purpose flour to knead the dough. In this recipe, I have used only wheat flour to make it healthy.
The consistency of the Puran is very important. If the consistency is correct it will not come out while rolling the stuffed poli. To check the consistency, you can poke the knife or spoon or spatula vertically in the cooked Puran and if it stands straight, the consistency is right. If the knife falls on any side, the consistency is loose and Puran needs to be cooked little more.
Strain the stock from the cooked chana dal and store it to make katachi amti. If you don’t drain the stock, it will take longer to cook and may take twice as much time.
The quantity of Puran and dough should be the same for making poli. So that the Puran is evenly spread in each poli.
While cooking the stuffed poli, apply ghee on both the sides, only when the brown spots start to appear on either side. This will make flaky outer covering and also not dry while eating.
Last but not least, if you are making Puran poli for the first time or for that matter any stuffed paratha for the first time, it may break while rolling and stuffing might come out either from the centre or from any side, just don’t panic. Dust some dry flour to that particular part and it will be fine.
Practice making it a few times and you will get better with time. It should not stop you from making delicious pooran poli.

Please let me know how this recipe turns out for you in the comments. I love to hear from you.

If you enjoy this hearty recipe, be sure to check out my Blog for more!

Puran poli Recipe Card

5 from 1 vote

Puran Poli recipe

Puran Poli recipe is an Indian flatbread stuffed with sweet lentil filling made from cooked chana dal (split Bengal gram dal) with jaggery.

Prep Time20 mins

Active Time40 mins

Total Time1 hr

Course: Dessert, Sweets

Cuisine: Maharashtrian

Keyword: Puran poli recipe

Yield: 12 Puran polis

Calories: 315kcal

Materials

For pressure cooking chana dal:

2 cup Chana dal
¼ tsp Turmeric powder
¼ tsp Salt
6 cup Water

For kneading dough:

2 cup Whole wheat flour
¼ tsp Salt
½ tbsp oil
Water to knead a soft and smooth dough

For making Puran:

2 cup crushed jaggery or gud
¼ tsp Ginger powder optional
1 tsp Cardamom powder

Other ingredients:

Oil or ghee for frying on Puran poli
Dry flour for dusting

Instructions

Kneading dough:

In a large mixing bowl, add 2 cups of atta or whole wheat flour, a pinch of salt and oil.
Add water in portions and start to combine the dough. Once everything is combined well, begin kneading the dough.
Knead the soft and smooth dough. Cover and keep it aside for at least half an hour.

Cooking chana dal:

First, rinse 2 to 3 times chana dal very well in water. You can even soak the rinsed chana dal for 3 to 4 hours. I have not soaked it and cooked immediately.
Transfer the rinsed chana dal in the pressure cooker along with turmeric powder, salt and water.
Cook the chana dal for at least 5 to 6 whistles.
Once the pressure settle downs naturally, open the lid and check if the chana dal is cooked properly. Take a piece of chana dal and pinch it with your fingers, if it mashes easily then it is cooked. If it is hard, then cook it for 2 to 3 more whistles.
Now, strain the cooked chana dal in a colander and store its stock for making katachi amti. Let the chana dal sit for 5 to 10 minutes in a colander so that maximum water can be drained out.

Preparing Puran:

For making Puran, transfer the cooked chana dal into a large vessel or in the pressure cooker along with crushed jaggery or gud.
Cook on low medium flame until the jaggery melts completely. Simultaneously, mash the chana dal with a spatula.
When jaggery melts completely, add a pinch of ginger powder and mix it nicely.
Cook all the ingredients together on low flame until all the chana dal is mashed properly and mixture begins to dry.
Finally, add cardamom powder and mix it well.

Making Puran poli:

After 30 minutes, knead the dough again and divide the dough into 10 or 12 equal portions.
Take 1 dough portion and dust it with dry flour. Start rolling it with a rolling pin in 2 to 3-inch diameter.
Now, scoop out the cooked Puran of the same size as your dough portion and place it in the centre of rolled dough.
Bring the edges together towards the centre and secure it nicely. Flatten the dough again with your fingers applying little pressure.
Roll the stuffed Puran poli with a rolling pin as thin as you can. Make sure it is not breaking from any side. If it starts breaking, and stuffing comes out, sprinkle some dry flour over that area and gently roll it once. Do not roll that poli more, to avoid further mess.
Now, gently transfer the rolled Puran poli on a hot tawa or griddle.
When the bottom side starts getting brown spots, flip the side gently and cook from the other side too.
When both the sides are cooked and brown spots appear, Puran poli will puff evenly. Apply oil or ghee on both the sides and cook for another 2 minutes.
Now, remove the Puran poli from tawa and place it in a casserole or on a kitchen napkin.
Finally, serve hot Puran poli with pickles or katachi amti. Or simply serve it with a bowl of warm milk.

Step by step instructions

Kneading dough:

In a large mixing bowl, add 2 cups of atta or whole wheat flour, a pinch of salt and oil.
Add water in portions and start to combine the dough. Once everything is combined well, begin kneading the dough.
Knead the soft and smooth dough. Cover and keep it aside for at least half an hour.

Cooking chana dal:

First, rinse 2 to 3 times chana dal very well in water. You can even soak the rinsed chana dal for 3 to 4 hours. I have not soaked it and cooked immediately.
Transfer the rinsed chana dal in the pressure cooker along with turmeric powder, salt and water.
Cook the chana dal for at least 5 to 6 whistles.
Once the pressure settle downs naturally, open the lid and check if the chana dal is cooked properly. Take a piece of chana dal and pinch it with your fingers, if it mashes easily then it is cooked. If it is hard, then cook it for 2 to 3 more whistles.
Now, strain the cooked chana dal in a colander and store its stock for making katachi amti. Let the chana dal sit for 5 to 10 minutes in a colander so that maximum water can be drained out.

Preparing Puran:

For making Puran, transfer the cooked chana dal into a large vessel or in the pressure cooker along with crushed jaggery or gud.
Cook on low medium flame until the jaggery melts completely. Simultaneously, mash the chana dal with a spatula.
When jaggery melts completely, add a pinch of ginger powder and mix it nicely.
Cook all the ingredients together on low flame until all the chana dal is mashed properly and mixture begins to dry.
Finally, add cardamom powder and mix it well.
Turn the flame off and let the Puran mixture cool down, before making Puran poli.

Making Puran poli:

After 30 minutes, knead the dough again and divide the dough into 10 or 12 equal portions.
Take 1 dough portion and dust it with dry flour. Start rolling it with a rolling pin in 2 to 3-inch diameter.
Now, scoop out the cooked Puran of the same size as your dough portion and place it in the centre of rolled dough.
Bring the edges together towards the centre and secure it nicely. Flatten the dough again with your fingers applying little pressure.
Roll the stuffed Puran poli with a rolling pin as thin as you can. Make sure it is not breaking from any side. If it starts breaking, and stuffing comes out, sprinkle some dry flour over that area and gently roll it once. Do not roll that poli more, to avoid further mess.
Now, gently transfer the rolled Puran poli on a hot tawa or griddle.
When the bottom side starts getting brown spots, flip the side gently and cook from the other side too.
When both the sides are cooked and brown spots appear, Puran poli will puff evenly. Apply oil or ghee on both the sides and cook for another 2 minutes.
Now, remove the Puran poli from tawa and place it in a casserole or on a kitchen napkin.
Finally, serve hot Puran poli with pickles or katachi amti. Or simply serve it with a bowl of warm milk.

Important tips to remember while making Puran poli recipe:

The first thing is you can use maida or all-purpose flour to make a dough. Or both the flours in 1:1 ratio.
Secondly, do not panic if your Puran poli breaks or stuffing comes out, just sprinkle some dry flour on that area.
You can even add a pinch of turmeric powder while kneading the dough, to get a slightly yellowish colour.
Shelf life: Puran poli can be stored in the refrigerator for 5 to 6 days, packed in an air-tight container. Just reheat it on a hot griddle and apply some ghee on both sides. It will taste fresh.
The combination of katachi amti and Puran poli is best to be served.
Also, when cooking jaggery and chana dal together, sometimes it is difficult to mash chana dal with a spatula. In that case, you can use ‘Puran yantra’ or ‘Puran Patra’ to mash the Puran mixture evenly.
This yantra is almost present in all Maharashtrian houses, as our moms make use of it. But, I do not have that at my place, neither I find it in the Netherlands. So, I simply pressure cook it for 1 or 2 more whistles and it easily gets mashed with a spatula.
You can even accomplish this task by simply using mixer/ grinder or potato masher.