Paruppu Boli

Ingredients (measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml)

for the puran mixture - sweet filling:

1 cup powdered jaggery cup, chana dal/skinned spilt bengal gram, 3 cups water for pressure cooking the chana dal, 2 tsp ghee, 1 tsp fennel powder/saunf, ¾ to 1 tsp dry ginger powder ½ tsp cardamom powder or 4-5 cardamoms crushed finely, ¼ tsp nutmeg powder

for the poli - outer covering:

1.5 cups whole wheat flour/atta + ½ cup all purpose flour/maida (or you can also use 2 cups whole wheat flour instead)1 tsp oil or ghee, ½ tsp salt or as required, ¼ tsp turmeric powder/haldi (optional, to give a faint yellow color to the Boli)water as required to knead the doughoil or ghee as required for frying the puran Boli

Preparing the puran:

Rinse the chana dal first very well in water. I didn't soaked the chana dal but you can also soak the chana dal for 30 minutes to one hour and then drain the water. In a pressure cooker, cook the chana dal for 6 to 7 whistles. If you soak the chana dal, the cooking time will be reduced. Once the pressure settles down on its own, strain the cooked dal. The dal has to be strained well. Keep the stock aside. You can just add it to your veggie dishes or rotis. Heat ghee in a pan and add the dry ginger powder, nutmeg powder, cardamom powder and fennel powder. Saute for a few seconds. Add the chana dal and jaggery. Stir and let this puran mixture cook on a low flame till the mixture becomes dry. Keep on stirring the puran mixture at intervals. Once the puran stuffing become dry and thick, switch off the flame. Let it cool and then mash the puran mixture with a potato masher. You can also use your mixer to mash the puran mixture very well. Keep aside.

Preparing the poli dough:

Take whole wheat flour/atta, all purpose flour/maida and salt in a bowl mix well. Add a little bit of water and ghee and mix. begin to knead the dough adding water as required. The dough should be smooth and soft. cover and keep aside the dough for 15-20 minutes.

Making the puran poli:

Take a medium or large size ball from the dough. Roll it 2-3 inches in circumference on a dusted rolling board. Place a portion of puran mixture in the center of the rolled dough.  Bring the edges together towards the center. Join all the edges and pinch them. Sprinkle some flour and start rolling the dough. Make a medium or large circle (Boli) as depending upon the size of the dough and puran filling you took. On a heated tawa or griddle, spread some ghee. Place the rolled Boli/dough circle on the tawa. When one side gets browned, turn over and cook the other side till you see some brown spots. Once the second side gets browned, Then turn over and apply ghee. If everything is done properly then puran Boli will puff up. The Boli should be cooked well with brown spots and golden. Make all puran Bolis this way and stack them in a casserole or in a kitchen napkin. You can serve puran Boli warm or at room temperature with milk, ghee or yogurt/curd.

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