Puran Poli / Obbattu / Bobbatlu/Boli - South Indian dessert

Puran Poli or Obbatu or Bobbatlu or Boli are various names for the same dessert in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu/Kerala, respectively. It is one of the signature desserts (Must Haves) made during festivals, may it be any New Year (Vishu, Gudi Padwa, Ugadi, Varsha-Porappu) or an occasion to break the fast such as Dwadasi after the fasting on Ekadasi.

It is usually made with tons of ghee (butter) and is loved by kids and adults alike. In Pune, I have seen Puran Poli made so thin like paper and they are huge in size that by folding it four times, it is the size of one roti. It is usually eaten with Aam Ras (Squeezed mango pulp) and Milk.

After my fast on Ekadasi this last Friday, I decided to make this dessert on Saturday morning as "Naivedyam" or offering to God Krishna. I served it with Milk. The recipe is pretty much something I learned from my mother and my in-laws. Being simple in its ingredients, the difficulty is in making the Obbatu.. so I have added photos that will show you how.

Puran Poli/Obbattu/Bobbatlu/Boli
Ingredient
Jaggery - 1 cup
Chana dal (Yellow split pea) - 2 cups
Maida (Refined wheat flour) - 2 cups
Turmeric - 2 tsp
Cardomon - 2-3 pods 
Oil/Ghee - 3-4 tbsp or as needed 
 Water - for dough and cooking as needed.

 

Directions

Making of the Puran/filling

Cook the chana dal in cooker with 3-4 whistles. The dal should not be over cooked. There are two ways of making the Puran (or the sweet filling).

1. I followed this method. Here you add the jaggery and the cooked dal along with cardomon into a blender and grind it into smooth paste by adding enough water.

2.Maharashtrian's follow this method, where in they manually grind the chana dal with help of mortar and pistle or a Chapathi making roll into a fine paste and add the Jaggery later.

In Method 1. Heat a pan and add ghee (1 tbsp) and add the jaggery/chana dal mix into the pan and keep mixing until it becomes hard and reaches a consistency of thick jam - 5 min.

In Method 2. Heat a pan, add ghee (1 tbsp), add the jaggery and let it become watery. Add the chana dal paste and let it cook until it become thick - 5 min.

Keep this Puran aside to make the Poli.

Making the Puran Poli
You definitely need Maida or refined flour rather than the whole wheat flour as the dough needs to pull and expand with the filling and should not break as short strands.

Make a dough with Maida and turmeric (yellow in color). Add 2-3 tbsp of oil in the dough and work the gluten so it stretches well. Art in making the Poli is to take very little dough and more filling, so you get to taste the filling more than the dough.

Spread a thin layer of the dough, add the Puran in the middle and cover it from four sides by the dough into a ball. Spread it gently (very gently) to make a round and thin Poli. If you press too hard, the Poli will break and the filling will ooze out.

 

Alternatively, you can make the Poli as a "Modak" or a "Dumpling" in the sense, you make a cup out of the dough and add the filling in the middle of cup and cover it up with dough and make it a ball. Spread this ball into a thin layer of Poli. After the Poli is spread, heat a flat pan and cook it well with ghee /oil until the flour and filling is well cooked.


Practise makes a man perfect is true for cooking.. This is the first time I made Obbatu on my own (with no parental supervision) and my first Poli was not so great looking (as seen in the picture) with the filling popped out of the dough. I have however, added some more snaps of the Polis I made in succession and you can see that I had perfected in making them round, thinner, uniform in thickness and larger as seen in the last snap... So guys, don't loose heart if your first one doesn't come out to be perfect.. Keep trying and Voila.. you will succeed in becoming the Poli master!   

Serve hot with butter, milk or Mango pulp (Aam Ras)... enjoy!