Make Ahead

Pooran Poli - Sweet Lentil Flatbread

March 27, 2013
0
0 Ratings
  • Prep time 20 minutes
  • Cook time 20 minutes
  • Makes 10 to 12
Author Notes

Kids love this dish! It is a stuffed bread filled with sweetened lentil mixture. It's best served warm or they taste great as leftovers also. Usually it is smothered with ghee but you can easily make it vegan by not using ghee. Hope you like it. —Devangi Raval

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Ingredients
  • For the dough
  • 2 cups Whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 Tsp Salt
  • 3 Tsp oil
  • 1/2 cup Water
  • Lentil Stuffing
  • 1 cup of toor or Tuvar Dal)
  • 11/4 cup of Sugar or grated Jaggery
  • 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
  • 1/4 tsp fennel powder (optional)
  • pinch of saffron
  • ghee for serving (Do not use it if you are vegan)
Directions
  1. Soak the toor dal for about 1 hour and then drain it and pressure cook it with approximately 11/2 or 2 cups of water. Basically we want to boil the dal, either do it with a pressure cooker or in pot preferably with lid.
  2. Once the dal is cooked, drain excess water if its a lot (if there is little water don’t worry it will burn off) and then mash the dal/lentils with a masher or back of spatula. Heat a pan , add mashed dal, jaggery or sugar (whatever sweetner you are using) cardamom powder and fennel powder. Keep cooking it and stirring it till the mixture becomes dry. As the sugar/jaggery starts melting, the mixture would have water content but if we continue stirring it for few minutes it will start coming together and water will evaporate. Mixture will look dry. once it comes together, remove it. Let it cool down. And, divide this mixture further into 10 or 12 small balls. It should not be sticky but still able to form ball.
  3. On the other hand, take whole wheat flour, oil and salt and add water slowly until you form dough (not too hard nor too soft dough) The dough should be soft and pliable. Cover it and leave it for few minutes.
  4. When we are ready to make it. Divide this dough into equal portions and make 10 to 12 balls. Take the dough ball, flatten it with your plams and roll out a small round, place the dal ball in middle and seal it nicely taking all the edges of the dough. Remember not to leave air inside while sealing it or else when we would try to roll it , the dal mixture will ooze out. Flatten it slightly and roll out into 5 inches diameter, use flour to dust if you need .You can keep them thick or thin upto you. i like medium thickness.
  5. Heat a griddle or shallow pan, add the rolled out bread onto it. Let it cook on one side, when you see some bubbles on top , flip it and cook it another side. Press slightly with spatula in between. If you need flip it one more time and then drizzle or smear ghee or butter on it. Serve hot.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

3 Reviews

piggledy May 20, 2020
I am intrigued by this recipe. One question - perhaps it is my browser, but I cannot see how much water to add to the flour. Are we to reserve the water from the dal, or is it a separate measurement? Thank you for any response you are able to offer, I realize it has been some time since you posted the recipe.
Devangi R. October 27, 2023
Its plain regular water to be used. I start with 1/2 cup, add as you need few more tbsp at a time.
nitya December 4, 2013
pooran poli is my weakness and i am thrilled to see it posted on food52.I prefer jaggery, and you can opt for soft brown sugar in place of plain sugar.a dash of nutmeg powder adds great flavor and taste.