Bhavna
Puran Poli and Vermi, a flat bread stuffed with a sweet lentil filling , are very close to each other so I am sharing them on the same page here. Puran Poli, also known as Holige, is a sweet flatbread from South India and Maharashtra, While Vermi is from Gujarat known as Gari Roti as well. Puran Poli is made with Chana Dal while Vermi is made with Tuvar dal. Instead of sugar, Jaggery can be used. The method for preparing either one is the same. So watch the video below for the steps and just change the ingredients as per your preference. I highly recommend to watch the video to understand this recipe better. Reading recipe may make you confused if you are making it first time or have never seen or tried this recipe before. To me personally, this recipe is very easy and simple, all I have to do is make the dough, make stuffing and prepare the Puran Poli or Vermi but for the beginner, it may seems like so many steps and confusing. Once you learn, it is lot of fun. I use pressure cooker to boil the daal faster and I can reduce cooking time to half!
Let’s begin with Puran Poli Recipe first. The various names for the flatbread include Puran Poli (पुरण पोळी) in Marathi, Boli (Malayalam/Tamil), Bobbatlu/ Bakshalu (Telugu), Holige (ಹೋಳಿಗೆ) and Obbattu (ಒಬ್ಬಟ್ಟು) in Kannada, Ubbatti, or simply, Poli.
Puran Poli and Vermi
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 1 cup (200 ml ) maida ( plain flour ), I mix half half - Maida and Genhu Roti Atta
- A pinch of Turmeric Powder (Haldi)
- ½ cup (100 ml / 4 oz) water
- 1 tablespoon oil ( for making dough ) or sunflower oil
- ¼ cup maida ( for dusting ) or 4 tablespoons
- 3 – 4 teaspoons ghee (final preparation)
For the Puran (Stuffing)
- For puran (dal mixture):
- 1 cup / 200 ml chana dal (Bengal gram dal / chone daali)
- 2 ¼ cups water
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 1 cup sugar or Jaggery can be used
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
Instructions
For the dough:
- In a wide bowl, combine maida, turmeric powder and 1 tablespoon oil.
- Knead maida mix with and enough water ( approximately 100 ml / 1/2 cup ) to make a smooth chapatti dough. Sprinkle extra 1 or 2 teaspoon water if required to make very soft dough. Keep aside for half an hour to one hour in an airtight container. Dough is ready now.
For the Stuffing:
- Wash and soak chana dal in 2 1/4 cups water in a pressure cooker for one hour and pressure cook for 20 minutes (pressure cook along with soaked water) (reduce heat to medium after 3rd whistle (3 quick whistles) and cook for 15 minutes or until done and soft). Do not open the cooker immediately. Allow the cooker to cool naturally. Open the cooker. It should be a thick and soft mixture or drain out dal water if any (may be ¼ cup ).
- Transfer the thick cooked dal into a bowl. Keep aside for 15 – 20 minutes until it reaches room temperature. Then mix with 1 cup sugar. Make a smooth and thick paste in a mixer bowl in 2 batches.
- Heat 1 tablespoon ghee in a kadai / frying pan on a medium heat. Add thick chana dal - sugar paste and stir it on a low to medium heat till the mixture thickens / water dries up / leaves from the sides of the pan (approximate time 15 - 20 minutes on a low heat). Puran is ready now.
- Sprinkle cardamom powder and mix well.
- Remove from the heat and cool. Make 5 - 6 medium size lemon sized balls.
Making of Puran Poli
- Roll out each maida dough into 4 – inch width puri with the help of a rolling pin. Sprinkle little dry maida when making the shape of a puri.
- Place a lime-sized ball (1 tablespoon) of dal paste in the centre. Gather up the edges of the puri, enclose the dal paste completely and pinch the seams well together (like aloo paratha).
- Dust this ball generously with maida flour mix. Place the dusted ball on a chapatti board and carefully roll it out into a chapatti (slightly thicker than chapatti) and place each puran poli carefully.
- Heat a frying pan / tawa. Reduce heat to medium, place the rolled puran poli carefully on the frying pan and fry till golden color on both the sides - like chapati ( turning it over once or twice carefully; smear little ghee (1/2 teaspoon) on both the sides while frying). Carefully remove it from the frying pan with a flat spatula. Serve as a sweet dish. It's a very tasty after school snack.
Notes
Now, let’s look at the recipe of Gujarati version, known as Vermi. The key flavoring ingredient in Gujarati version is Nutmeg (Jayfal), but feel free to use cardamom instead.
Gujarati Vermi
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 2 cups Roti Atta - Whole Wheat Flour
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 cup water or as needed
For the Stuffing:
- 1 cup Toor Daal (Pigeon pea)
- 1 cup Sugar or Jaggery
- 1/4-1/2 tsp Nutmeg powder or just use 1 tsp Cardamom (Elaichi)
- 2 tbsp Ghee - Clarified Butter to smear on Vermi
Instructions
To Make Wheat Dough
- Mix the whole wheat flour and oil in a bowl. For two parts of flour add one part lukewarm water in the bowl.
- Knead thoroughly with your fingers and make soft dough.
- Rest the wheat dough for 15 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 10 equal portions and keep aside.
To Make Puran Filling
- Rinse the toor dal thoroughly in water and pressure cook it for 10 minutes.
- Drain the excess water from boiled dal and mash it using spatula or spoon.
- In a non-stick pan heat clarified butter (ghee) and add boiled toor dal. Add sugar and cook the mixture for 10 minutes till the mixture thickens.
- Add the cardamom powder and mix well.
- Let the puran mixture gets cool and divide it into 10 equal portions.
To Make Puran Puri
- Roll out one piece of wheat dough into roti size dishes (3-4 inch diameter).
- Place one portion of Puran mixture on rolled roti dough and fold the edges of dough. Seal the mixture properly by pinching the dough edges.
- Apply pressure on dough using hand and flatten it. Again roll the dough filled with puran mixture carefully to avoid over spilling of puran mixture.
- Cook the rolled puran puri on a tawa (pan) on both sides till it changes color to golden brown.
- Repeat the process for remaining dough and puran mixture portions.
- Apply clarified butter (ghee) on each puran puris and serve hot.
