Puran Poli

Ingredients

• 200g chana dal
• 600ml water for cooking the dal
• 200g jaggery, grated
• 1/2 tsp ground green cardamom
• 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground dry ginger (sunth)
• 200g maida (plain flour)
• 50g fine atta (wholewheat flour)
• 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 5 tbsp neutral oil for the dough, plus more for resting
• 130ml water for the dough, approximately
• Rice flour, for dusting
• 80g ghee, for griddling and serving

Before you cook

• Rinse the chana dal well and soak it in water for 1 hour.
• Mix the maida, atta, turmeric and salt, then add water gradually to make a very soft, sticky dough.
• Knead the dough hard for 10 minutes until it is stretchy and smooth.
• Pour 3 tbsp oil over the dough, cover it, and leave it to rest for at least 1 hour.

Steps

1. Drain the soaked dal and cook it with 600ml fresh water until the grains are soft but not disintegrating, about 25 minutes.
2. Drain the dal thoroughly in a sieve, pressing gently, and keep the drained liquid for katachi amti if you want it.
3. Return the drained dal to a dry pan with the grated jaggery.
4. Cook over medium heat for 12 minutes, mashing constantly, until the jaggery melts and the mixture thickens into a stiff mass.
5. Test the puran by standing a spoon upright in it; if the spoon stays put, it is ready.
6. Stir in the cardamom, nutmeg and dry ginger and take the pan off the heat.
7. Pass the warm puran through a puran yantra or mash it thoroughly smooth, then let it cool completely.
8. Divide the puran into ten balls and the rested dough into ten smaller balls.
9. Flatten a dough ball into a cup in your oiled palm and sit a puran ball in the centre.
10. Draw the dough up around the filling, pinch it shut, and pinch off any thick knot of dough at the top.
11. Dust the parcel in rice flour and roll it out very gently to about 16cm, turning it often and never pressing on one spot.
12. Heat a tawa over medium-low heat, which matters because high heat will scorch the jaggery.
13. Lay the poli on the tawa and cook for 45 seconds until pale spots appear.
14. Flip it, smear a little ghee over the surface, and cook for another minute until both sides are golden and the bread puffs.
15. Stack the finished polis on a plate and repeat with the rest.
16. Serve warm with a generous pour of melted ghee, and a bowl of thin katachi amti alongside if you made it.