Recipe: Puran Poli / Holige / Obbattu / Bobatlu (Split Bengal-Gram-Stuffed Sweet Flatbread)

Puran Poli (also known as Holige / Obbattu / Bobatlu / Bobbatlu / Puranachi Poli in different parts of India) is a Maharashtrian style roti-like flatbread called ‘poli’ with sweet split Bengal gram (chana dal) stuffing known as ‘puran’, mostly made during festivals or special occasions - but in my case, any time.

Although wiki says Puran Poli is a dessert, I have NEVER seen it eaten as dessert – it is almost like a one-meal main course (because it is so sugary & loaded with ghee!), known to be eaten along with Chana Dal Amti.  However, whenever I have had Puran Poli in Maharashtra and Hyderabad - whether for lunch or dinner - it was always with Kadhi (without the Pakora) – and that’s how I love it too.

Puran Poli and Kadhi.  There's something about the sweet, soft poli dipped in a tangy, salty kadhi.  Yum.

Puran Poli with Kadhi and Amti accompaniment

Puran Poli Recipe

Makes 12 big puran polis, or 22 small poli

For the stuffing (puran):

1 cup Split Bengal Gram (Chana Dal)

½ - ¾ cup Sugar <adjust to taste>

2 Tbsp Ghee

½ tsp Cardamom Powder (Elaichi) <optional>

For the dough (poli):

3 cup Wheat Flour (Gehun ka Aata)

Water for making dough

Flour for rolling the poli

Ghee for serving

                                                                          

For the stuffing, the main ingredients are chana dal, sugar, and ghee.  Some people use jaggery instead of, or along with, sugar.  Adding cardamom powder, nutmeg powder, saffron, etc are completely optional and to your preference.

Let’s Begin!

Prepare the Paste:

1.  Rinse the chana dal & soak in 2 cups water for about 20 mins.  Discard the water, pressure cook the chana dal in fresh 2 cups water, on medium heat for four whistles until the dal becomes completely soft.  Allow the pressure in cooker to cool down.  Then drain the dal (reserve water)*, put dal into a blender and grind it into a fine paste.  You can add some jaggery soaked in water too while grinding dal, if you'd like to limit the sugar.

how to make puran poli stuffing

Prepare the Puran Stuffing:

2.  Heat pan on medium, add ghee, add the paste & stir until it all starts coming together ** & the mixture is of a soft ball consistency.  Taste the stuffing, add more sugar if you wish.  The mixture will start to leave the sides of the pan, and will start to clean the pan as you mix it.  That's when you know it's done.  Add cardamom powder (along with saffron and nutmeg powder if using), mix well & allow the stuffing to cool completely.  Then divide the stuffing into 12 equal balls.  Keep them covered; you don't want your stuffing ball to form a dry skin.

how to cook soft puran for poli

Prepare the Dough:

3.  In a mixing bowl, add the wheat flour, and knead to make a smooth and thick dough using required water.  For 3 cups of wheat flour, you would use somewhere around (or less than) 1.5 cups water.  Remember to make the dough thicker than a roti/chapati dough so that the dough is strong enough to hold the stuffing.  Keep the dough covered for 20 minutes.  Then divide the dough into 12 equal balls, keep covered.

how to fill puran stuffing inside poli

Prepare the Poli:

4.  Roll out 1 dough ball to about 3" diameter and put 1 stuffing ball in the center.  Lift the edges & bind them together, sealing properly to enclose the stuffing.  Then roll out medium-thick*** paratha, dip in the extra flour from both sides to help roll easily.  Heat a pan on medium, when hot, place one puran poli at a time, let cook on both sides till golden brown and apply ghee on both sides.

how to roll out and make soft puran poli

Prepare to Serve:

5.  Now this is how my mom, mom's mom, and the entire family from my mom's side serve puran poli: bring the sides of the hot puran poli together forming the shape of a bowl & pour 1 tsp ghee in it just before serving it hot, along with Kadhi ... or Chana Dal Amti.

soft puran poli with best accompaniments: kadhi and amti

Notes:

* If you are cooking Chana Dal Amti or Kadhi along with Puran Poli, don’t discard the drained water from Chana Dal – add it to the Amti/Kadhi.

** When puran starts coming together as a soft ball, you should stop it from cooking further, because it will only get thicker & drier if it is cooked more.  The softer the puran stuffing it, the better the poli will taste.

*** If you try to make bigger & thin flat puranpolis, the puran texture will not feel smooth because of having been spread out, pressed, flattened, and heated so much.  It should be just medium-thick (~¼ inch) & medium-sized (~6-7 inch) circle.


Ok that's it.  I need a bite!

FAQ about Puran Poli:

Q:  Can puran poli be made with a different stuffing?

A:  For the stuffing, some people like to use Chana Dal, whereas some like to use Toor Dal.  Some like to use jaggery, some prefer sugar.

Q:  What are best accompaniments to puran poli?  What is puranpoli eaten with?

A:  Puran poli is best eaten with Amti or Kadhi.  I prefer Kadhi.  Because the puranpoli is very sweet, you need a salty/tangy liquid like Amti or Kadhi to balance the taste.

Q:  How thick puran should be for puranpoli?

A:  Just until it starts to leave sides of pan and comes to a soft ball consistency.  Thick but soft.  And then you should roll out the puranpoli to about 1 cm thick and 6 cm diameter, try to avoid letting the stuffing ooze out.

Q:  How to make bigger puran poli?

A:  Take a golf-size ball of puran stuffing and poli dough, and roll out a bigger puran poli.

Q:  How to make poli sweet without puran?

A:  Poli without puran would be like fish without water.  Anyway, you can just put some ghee and sugar as the stuffing and cook as above.  I eat this kind of sweet paratha quite regularly.

Q:  My puran poli stuffing became too thin / My puran poli stuffing has become soft / What to do if puran is too soft for puranpoli?

A:  Cook the puran a little longer until it becomes a softball consistency and leaves the sides of the pan.  Puran is supposed to be soft, but not thin/liquidy.  On the other hand, if your puran has become too thick, sprinkle a little water (or milk!) and let it become soft and smooth again.

Enjoy.
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