Puran Poli Food

PURAN POLI

Steps:

• Method: Filling.
• Warm two tablespoons of ghee in a nonstick saucepan. As it melts, add the cooked pigeon peas, and stir until the water evaporates and the mixture thickens. Continually scrape the sides of the saucepan to ensure even distribution of heat or else the daal will burn. Add half the sugar and stir it in well. Adjust to desired sweetness. Reduce the heat and continue to thicken until the mashed pigeon peas resemble mashed potatoes. Add the crushed cardamom powder, saffron and nutmeg, stir well and portion into eight pieces. This filling can be made up to 3 days in advance, and stored in the fridge until ready to use. Bring it to room temperature to ease the rolling process.
• Method: Dough.
• Using a food processor fitted with an S blade or in a large bowl, combine the flour with salt and enough water to make a firm dough. The dough should be firm but not hard, moist but not wet, and similar in consistency of modeling clay. Carefully knead the oil into the dough and cover with a clear wrap or lid until ready to roll.
• Method: Rolling & Cooking.
• Start by rolling out a single ball of dough into a flat disk, as one would begin a paratha, no more than 5" diameter. Place the mashed sweetened pigeon peas mash, puran, in the center, pinch the dough and fold over the ball to cover the ball completely, like a dumpling. Ensure the seams are sealed. Lightly flatten this in the palm of your hand. Dredge the ball in dry flour and begin to roll again, this time very lightly to ensure the filling does not spill out. Roll to make an 8" poli using dry flour to dust as needed. When sufficiently rolled, dust off excess flour.
• Heat a shallow nonstick pan on medium-high heat. When ready to place a Puran poli in the pan, turn it down to medium heat. The side that hits the pan first is the first side. Watch the dough bubble slightly and move it around in the pan without flipping it over. Turn the Puran poli over approximately 1 minute later. The first side should be lightly spotted but not have dark spots. If this happens too quickly, reduce the heat. Repeat on the second side, and while the second side cooks, lightly baste the first side of the with ghee. Using a spatula, flip the paratha and repeat the basting. Both sides should have ghee-cooked once without ghee and once with ghee. Remove from heat and cover with a paper towel or a colander to help the steam evaporate. Once they have come to room temperature, the Puran Poli can be transferred to an appropriate storage container.