Puran Poli is an Indian delicacy made by stuffing soft whole wheat dough with soft-cooked yellow lentils, jaggery/brown sugar, cardamom, nutmeg, and saffron. It is then rolled thin and cooked on a pan with lots of ghee to make it into a crisp golden brown, flavorful, and aromatic flatbread. Served with a few savory side dishes this heavenly Indian vegetarian Thali is a must-try!
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Traditional Maharashtrian Recipe
Puran Poli is a Traditional Maharashtrian delicacy and is specially made on a few auspicious festivals:
- Holi - the festival of color, the celebration of the victory of good over evil, marks the arrival of spring. Holi, is a popular Hindu festival celebrated over 2-5 days in India. On the evening of the first day, public bonfires are made, called Holika Dahan. On the next day (or 5th day in some states) people play with colors. My memories of Holi are of the bonfires and my friends and family gathering around them to pray. The fifth day known as "Rang Panchami" is the most colorful day when we shower our friends, family and even those we don't know with vibrant colors both powder and liquid. Even after the holiday passes the streets of India look like a Monet covered in a sea of color.
- Diwali- which translates to a row of lights, is the main Hindu festival celebrated in autumn. In Maharashtra, where I grew up, it is celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm. Check out how my family celebrates Diwali in the USA!
- Bail Pola - celebrated in the monsoon season, on this day farmers pay respect to bullocks and cows as cattle are their main source of livelihood. 'Bail' in Marathi means 'Bull.' On this day, cattle are bathed, and adorned with various ornaments and clothes. Their horns are given a fresh coat of paint and then the animals are taken around the village in processions accompanied by music.
Heirloom Puran Poli
I have vivid memories of my grandmother making stacks of golden, soft Puran Poli for our large family gatherings. Everyone enjoyed helping out in the kitchen while preparing these elaborate meals. The Poli, generously coated in ghee, was served with saffron and cardamom-infused milk and other delicious sides.
Years later, after moving to the US, I learned to make Puran Poli with my mom's precise instructions. After many attempts and improvements, I finally mastered this authentic Maharashtrian dish. Now, I’m thrilled to make it several times a year, as both my children and husband love it.
What is Puran Poli?
Puran - Sweet filling made with chana daal, jaggery, cardamom, saffron & nutmeg
Poli - Flatbread usually made with whole wheat flour
Puran Poli is a sweet flatbread where the Puran is stuffed inside the whole wheat dough and rolled to form a thin flatbread. It is then cooked on a hot griddle with a generous amount of ghee until both sides are cooked with golden brown spots.
What is Jaggery?
- Jaggery (pronounced jag-uh-reey) is an unrefined sugar that is used commonly in India. Jaggery is made by boiling and reducing down sugar cane juice.
Types of Puran Poli
- Maharashtrian Puran Poli - Thin flatbread usually made with chana daal and jaggery
- Gujarati Puran Poli - Thick flatbread usually made with toovar/toor daal and jaggery
- Andhra Bobbattu - Thin flatbread usually made with chana daal and jaggery, the filling can also have nuts
- Kerala Boli - Thin flatbread made with chana daal and jaggery with the outer dough made of rice flour and a hint of turmeric
- Kannada Holige - Thin flatbread usually made with chana daal and jaggery
- Tamil Poli - Hand-patted flatbread with a coarse filling of chana daal, jaggery, and coconut
Tips make perfect Puran Poli
- Rinse the chana daal a couple of times and drain well
- Use filtered water to cook the daal. Hard water can cause the lentils to not cook properly or to take a longer time
- Old daal or organic daal can also take a longer time to cook
- Add a pinch of saffron for a beautiful golden color to the filling
- Adding dry ginger powder to the filling helps with digestion but can be optional
- When cooking the puran with all the ingredients, 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 the best way to check if it’s cooked perfectly.
How to Make Puran in the Instant Pot
For years I used a stovetop to cook the Puran. I now like the convenience of the Instant Pot to cook the Chana Daal for the Puran. Here is how:
- Rinse and drain the lentils.
- Add lentils with 2.5 cups of filter water and Pressure Cook(Hi) for 10 minutes followed by natural pressure release.
- Strain the liquids from the lentils using a mesh strainer and reserve the liquids.
- Return the lentils to the Instant Pot. Add jaggery, sugar, nutmeg, cardamom powder, dry ginger, and saffron. Mix well and cook stirring frequently until the Puran starts to thicken up. If sautéing in the Instant Pot, cook on sauté(normal) mode to avoid splatters.
- Let the cooked lentils cool down for a few minutes and then blend it to a smooth consistency in a food processor. Make sure the lentils are not completely cold, they need to be blended while they are warm.
Step by step recipe to make Puran Poli
Step 1 - Start by making the Puran or the sweet filling:
- Wash the chana daal 2-3 times. Drain all the water and then add 5 cups of filter water along with the daal in a heavy-bottomed pot. Let the daal cook on medium-low heat for at least an hour, stirring a few times.
- If you see white foam rise up from the lentils, gently discard the foam with a spatula. The daal should be cooked very soft, test them by pressing between thumb and index finger and it should be very soft and mushy.
Note: Cooking time may vary, I usually let mine cook for a couple of hours on medium-low heat. If you can stay near the stove while it is cooking you may want to cook it at medium-high, stirring more frequently, in which case the daal will be fully cooked in 45 mins.
- Drain all the water using a strainer (save the water to make Katachi Aamti, see the recipe below). Put the daal back in the pot. Add jaggery, sugar, nutmeg, cardamom powder, dry ginger, and saffron to the lentils. Mix well, and cook stirring frequently for 20 mins on medium heat.
- Let the above mixture cool down for a few minutes and then blend it to a smooth consistency in a food processor. Tip - Make sure to blend while it is warm. This is our sweet stuffing and it should have a soft consistency like the picture below.
Step 2 - Knead the outer dough:
- Knead soft dough with whole wheat flour, salt, saffron, and oil. This dough should be softer than the normal roti/paratha dough to get soft and flaky Puran Poli. Let this dough rest for at least half an hour at room temperature.
Step 3 - Rolling and cooking Poli:
- Make lemon-sized balls from the dough and the Puran. Preheat a pan on medium-high heat.
- Roll the dough by using a little bit of dry wheat flour. Make a 4-5 inch diameter circle.
- Put the Puran ball in the middle of the rolled dough
- Make pleats on the side of the dough to enclose the Puran.
- Close the pleats together tightly and press down the excess dough to make a flat disc
- Roll the Poli softly using some dry flour. You can roll this thin or keep it a little thicker. I roll mine thin to about 8-10 inches in diameter.
- Gently put the rolled Poli on the heated pan. Cook evenly on both sides to a perfect golden brown color. Add a little ghee to both sides and cook until both sides are golden brown.
Apply a little more ghee on both sides and serve hot.
Serving
These Puran Poli are so flavorful that they can be eaten by themselves or traditionally they are served with hot milk that is flavored with cardamom and saffron.
Here is a picture of the full traditional meal, which includes Puran Poli, saffron, and cardamom flavored milk, crunchy millet papads, crispy onion fritters, potato fritters, steamed rice, and spicy curry made with onions, coconut, and reserved water from the cooked chana daal. Yummy!
Storing
Rolled and cooked polis can be refrigerated for up to 5 days. They also freeze well, individually lined on parchment paper. To reheat simply place the, on a heated pan, apply ghee, and cook on both sides until heated through.
Troubleshooting
Having a perfect consistency of the Puran is key to making perfect Puran Poli. Here are some tips I learned from my mom on how to fix the Puran in case it is too soft or dry.
- How to fix runny Puran/filling - Place the filling in a nonstick pan and cook on low-medium heat, stirring often for 5 to 10 mins. This will allow excess liquids to evaporate and the filing will become dryer.
- How to fix dry Puran/filling - Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of warm milk to the Puran and mix it in. Add more milk as required until you get it to the desired consistency
Katachi Aamti
Many of you have asked for the recipe for the brown curry, photographed above. It is called Katachi Aamti or saar and is made with the reserved water from draining the cooked chana daal. With a few additional ingredients and spices, Katachi Amti can be cooked in no time. Spicy Katachi Aamti compliments the sweet Puran Poli and tastes delicious with steamed rice. Here is my recipe for Katachi Aamti or Saar:
Ingredients
- 3 cups water reserved from cooked and strained daal
- 3 tablespoon oil, divided
- 1 medium red onion, roughly chopped
- ⅓ cup dry shredded or sliced coconut
- 1-inch ginger
- 6 garlic cloves
- 2 teaspoons red chili powder
- 1 to 2 teaspoons Goda masala or garam masala
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pot. Add onion and saute for 5 minutes on medium heat or until they turn light brown. Add coconut, ginger, and garlic, and saute for another 2 minutes. Allow it to cool.
- Blend everything with ¼ cup of water to make a smooth paste.
- Add the remaining oil to the pot. Add the masala paste, red chili powder, garam masala, ground coriander, ground cumin, turmeric, and salt. Mix well and cook for 5 minutes or until the oil starts to separate from the edges.
- Add the daal water. Bring to a gentle boil. Add more water to bring the Aamti to a consistency you like and adjust the salt accordingly. Serve with steamed rice.
Recipe
Puran Poli
Recipe Video
Ingredients
Outer Dough
- 2 cups whole wheat flour for dough
- ½ cup whole wheat flour for rolling
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 cup water plus more as needed
- 2 tablespoons ghee
Filling
- 1 cup chana dal
- 5 cups water
- ½ cup jaggery
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg powder
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
- ¼ teaspoon saffron optional
- ¼ teaspoon dry ginger powder optional
Instructions
Make Puran
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- 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
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
Notes
- Use fresh and good quality chana daal. Old chana daal takes much longer to cook
- Using filter water or bottle water speeds up the cooking time for the lentils
- How to fix runny Puran/filling - Place the filling in a nonstick pan and cook on low-medium heat, stirring often for 5 to 10 mins. This will allow excess liquids to evaporate and the filing will become dryer.
- How to fix dry Puran/filling - Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of warm milk to the Puran and mix it in. Add more milk as required until you get it to the desired consistency
- Rinse and drain the lentils.
- Add lentils with 2.5 cups of filter water and Pressure Cook(Hi) for 10 minutes followed by natural pressure release.
- Strain the liquids from the lentils using a mesh strainer and reserve the liquids.
- Return the lentils to the Instant Pot. Add jaggery, sugar, nutmeg, cardamom powder, dry ginger, and saffron. Mix well and cook stirring frequently until the Puran starts to thicken up. If sautéing in the Instant Pot, cook on sauté(normal) mode to avoid splatters.
- Let the cooked lentils cool down for a few mins and then blend it to a smooth consistency in a food processor. Make sure the lentils are not completely cold, they need to be blended while they are warm.
Nutrition
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Jamison says
This looks amazing! Thank you for sharing, I'll have to try it sometime soon!
Bonnie Jean says
Quick question: The instructions say to put saffron into the Poli dough as well as into the Puran but the ingredients list doesn't say how much saffron to put in? This looks really tasty, I'm looking forward to trying it sometime!
Archana says
I would add a pinch in each!
Pradnya says
Hi, Quick question - I am making puran in the Instant pot. The recipe mentions 10 mins for 1 cup of chana so my question is - does the Pressure cook time needs to be doubled for cooking 2 cups of chana? Or its the same?
Thanks
Archana says
Same cook time, it will take longer for the Instant Pot to come to pressure.
Puja bajaj says
Hello … can i pressure cook the chana dal
That will save time
Is that ok ? Or does it have to be cooked in a heavy
Bottom pan
Please can u lemme know
Many thanks
Archana says
You can absolutely pressure cook chana dal. See my Instant Pot instructions in the recipe card notes.
SJ says
Hi Archana, such a lovely recipe! When I tried making these for the first time, the puran turned out absolutely perfect. This time, however, the dal did not blend completely and I am not quite sure why! Could I have done anything differently while cooking the puran?
Thank you.
Archana Mundhe says
Sometimes older Chana Dal takes a bit longer to cook! May be just cook longer. Also using filtered water use cook the dal soft.