Happy Ganesh Chaturthi !!!
This is the last of the 'Ganesh Chaturthi special' series. Puran-poli is perhaps the most popular neivaidyan (offering) on Ganesh Chaturthi alongside the 'Modak' which is primarily consumed in Maharashtra. But one can also find the Puran poli in some parts of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh too. The Kannada name is Holige or Obbattu . I was a little scared to attempt it at first but the valuable inputs that I got from my South Indian neighbors helped me get it right at one go.
Read on for the recipe -
Preparation Time - 1 hour plus
Ingredients -
For the puran (filling) -
- 1 cup chana dal
- 1 cup powdered jaggery
- 2 green cardamoms (powdered)
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
- 1 tbsp ghee
For the poli -
- 3 cups all purpose flour or wheat flour
- 1 tbsp ghee
- salt to taste
- water for kneading
Others -
- Extra flour for dusting
- Ghee for frying the puran poli
Preparation - Wash and soak the chana dal for 3-4 hours. Transfer to a pressure cooker along with 1 1/2 cups water and cook for 7-8 whistles.
Keep aside to allow steam to escape. Strain the dal and allow it to stand in the strainer for 1 hour or till all the water drains off.
Take the flour in a mixing bowl. Add salt and ghee. Mix in. Then add sufficient water to make a smooth yet firm dough. Rub a little ghee over the dough and cover it. Keep aside for 1 hour.
Cooking - Heat ghee in a pan. Add the cardamom powder and nutmeg powder.
Add the cooked chana dal after 10 seconds. One can add the powdered jaggery at the same time or at a later stage.Mix everything together and cook for 6-7 minutes or till you find that the mixture is turning powdery. Remove from flame and keep aside to cool down.
Transfer the cooled mixture to a mixie jar and buzz for a few seconds. It will become like a smooth dough.
Remove from the mixer jar and keep aside. Divide it into lemon sized balls.
Similarly, divide the dough into balls which are 25-30 percent larger than the chana dal balls. Lightly roll out each ball into a small circle. Place the puran ball at the center and close it by bringing the ends of the dough together.
Dust more flour on the working surface and roll out the puran-poli ball into a thin circle.
Heat a tawa and sprinkle a little ghee. Place the puran-poli on it . Cook on one side till small brown spots begin to appear. Flip it over and cook it on the other side as well.
Once done on both sides, rub a little ghee over it. Remove from the tawa and keep aside.
Repeat the same process for the remaining dough and puran.
Serve hot/warm with milk (or even some ghee).
Note - Excuse me for the badly taken pics. Will change them as soon as possible.