New Delhi: As soon as the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi arrives, the fragrance of traditional dishes starts spreading in the houses. On this occasion, special sweets of Maharashtra are prepared, so that Ganpati Bappa can be welcomed. If you want to make something special sweet to please Bappa this time, the traditional 'Puran Poli' is a great option. Made with a sweet filling of gram dal and jaggery, this dish is delicious and easy to make. When it is served with hot desi ghee, its taste doubles.
To make Puran Poli, first soak one cup of gram dal in water for half an hour. Then, cook the dal in a pressure cooker with a little desi ghee, a quarter teaspoon turmeric powder and water, for four whistles.
When the lentils are boiled well, drain off all the excess water through a strainer. There should not be even a single drop of water left in the dal, otherwise the stuffing will become wet and the poli may burst while rolling.
Now add boiled lentils and one cup of jaggery powder in a pan and cook on low flame, until it becomes a thick mixture. During this, add half a teaspoon cardamom powder, a little ghee and a quarter teaspoon nutmeg powder. When the mixture cools down, smooth it with a masher or a spoon.
The softer the dough of Puran Poli, the softer the Poli will be. For this, mix one cup wheat flour, one cup all-purpose flour, a pinch of salt and one-fourth teaspoon turmeric powder in a vessel. Now add water little by little and knead a soft dough. After the dough is ready, apply one or two spoons of oil on it and leave it covered for about an hour. After the time is over, knead the dough gently and make small balls of equal size.
Now take a ball of prepared dough and shape it like a bowl. Fill the prepared puran stuffing in the middle and close it well by lifting the edges. Roll it out gently like potato paratha. Then put it on a hot pan on medium flame and cook it till it becomes light golden from both the sides. After it is roasted, apply a lot of desi ghee on top and after offering it to Bappa, serve it hot. This traditional dish will be perfect the first time.
