Thursday 22 October 2015

Puran poli : Dussehra special

Happy Dussehra to everyone reading this :))) Last year i had posted the recipe of Coconut Barfis (Naaralachya vadya - click on the link to read more about the festival) and today, i am posting that of Puran poli. Yes, it had to be a sweets-post since it's festival time, and how can the celebration be complete without making or eating sweet :) Some of the combinations are all-time favourites in a Maharashtrian home like Shrikhand- puri, Basundi-puri or Puran poli-kataachi amti etc. 



Puran poli is basically a flat-bread stuffed with a sweet filling of skinned split bengal gram and jaggery. The best part about Puran poli is, it tastes good even when it's cold ( or even a day old :)) . Usually eaten with a generous amount of tup (ghee) on top, it can also be eaten dipped in milk or with Kataachi Amti. As we say, the food and water changes every 10 kms in India, the same way - the method of preparation and ingredients vary in different regions in Maharashtra. Some add grated coconut to the sweet filling, some make the filling with sugar or a mix of jaggery and sugar both. For the covering, some make it with wheat flour and some with maida (all purpose flour) or a mix of both. Recently, one of my sister in law told me that in her village, the covering is made of suji (rawa). For flavouring, nutmeg and/or cardamom powder is added.

So, the recipe is actually quite easy- less ingredients and not much of cooking time. But the tough part is to roll the polis (breads) without letting the filling come out. If the filling comes out (which surely will, the first time you make it), it will burn while cooking the roti. So, to avoid it, just dust a little flour on the filling, and roll again.



You can fry the rotis with oil or ghee as per your liking, but ghee of course adds the flavour. So, diet conscious people, let the dieting stay away during festivities, what say? :) Also, you can make Puran one day prior and keep in the refrigerator. Puran(the filling) stays good in an air tight container in refirgerator for even a week. You can also eat Puran as it is with a plain roti adding little ghee on top... Tastes absolutely divine :)

Preparation time : 35-40 minutes
Cooking time : 20-25 minutes
Serves : 2-3 people
Recipe type: Indian flatbread

Ingredients:

Chana daal (Skinned split bengal gram) - 1 cup
Jaggery - 1 cup 

(The right amount of sweetness is always to take equal quantity of lentil and jaggery)

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Nutmeg powder - 1/4 tsp

All purpose flour - 1 cup
Wheat flour - 1/2 cup
Oil - 5 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Ghee - to fry the polis



Recipe:

Wash the chana daal well. Pressure cook the washed chana daal along with 2 n half cups of water for 4-5 whistles. Switch off the flame, let the pressure subside. Now drain the daal and remove water thoroughly.

Use this water to make Kataachi Amti.

Sift the all purpose flour and wheat flour together. Add in 5 tbsp oil and mix well.

You can also add a little of turmeric powder for colour. 

Now, add water little by little and knead into a nice elastic dough. Put the dough in a bowl, cover and let it rest.

Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a kadhai, and add the cooked chana daal. Add in the jaggery and mix well. The mixture will turn to a thin consistency as the jaggery will melt. Let it cook till the mixture forms a nice thick ball. Keep stirring in between to avoid burning or sticking to the kadhai. Lastly add in the cardamom and nutmeg powder and mix well.

Now traditonally this mixture used to be put through the Puran Yantra (Puran Maker) for a very thin soft puran, but since i didn't have that, i just mashed it with a masher and it was fine. I tool the idea of mashing the puran from here.

Now, make equal sized balls of the puran and the dough both.

Make sure the filling in each dough-ball is good enough for the taste to come.

Roll the dough in a small puri-shape and add the filling in the centre. Now with your fingertips, gently close the sides of the dough in the centre to cover the stuffing. Now roll this into a roti. You can use all purpose flour or rice flour to roll the roti.

Heat a tawa. Place the roti on the tawa and fry on both sides till golden in colour adding ghee on top. 

Puran polis are ready. Don't forget to enjoy one served hot right from the tava with ghee on top. 



Happy Cooking :)






Saturday 10 October 2015

Vaatli Daal : Ground Chana daal snack

I love this part of the year!! Yes, i have mentioned it before and i will say it again and again. With so many festivities come so many traditions, celebrations and of course food specialties. More so, the sweets and snacks that are prepared in each household adds so much more excitement to the air, that it's fun not only gorging on them but learning about the whole "making" process too. Yes, as kids, it would hardly matter but since the time i have started blogging, i try as much as possible to learn/read about different cuisines, and the history behind each dish or the method it is prepared. Am sure my fellow bloggers will understand this urge to explore :) Here today, am posting the recipe of a typical Maharashtrian delicacy often served on Anant Chaturdashi (the last day of Ganesh Chaturthi)that i made for the first time. I have always seen my mother or aunt making this on the traditional grinding stone (Paata-varvanta as we call it) during Ganesh festival but never really knew that this tasty dish can be made even in mixer-grinder. Of course, the hand ground adds in more flavour but the mixer does justice too. It is also an easy recipe to serve as a tea time snack or for breakfast.



Vatli Daal is literally translated as "Ground Daal"- the daal here being Chana Daal (split and husked Bengal gram). This is a highly nutritious dish and has a nice tangy flavour to it, with the addition of raw mangoes. Since raw mangoes was not easily available during this time here, i have used lime juice. You can also add Amchur powder instead, but the tanginess in the dish is important. There is also a raw version of this daal which i will post soon.



Preparation time: 8-10 hours soaking
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves: 2 people
Recipe type: Snacks

Ingredients:

Chana daal - 1 cup 
Lime juice - 2-3 tsp or grated green mango (3 tbsp)
Salt - to taste
Sugar - 1/2 tsp

For tadka:
Oil - 3 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Green chilli - 2(sliced)
Grated ginger - 1 inch piece

For garnish :
Grated fresh coconut
Chopped corriander leaves (optional)



Recipe:

Wash and rinse the chana daal well.

Soak the chana daal in about 2 cups of water for 8-10 hours of overnight. It should turn to be so soft that when you press it, the daal grain should break. Hence, if needed, soak for more time.

Drain the water and clean the daal under running water.

Now grind this to a grainy consistency in mixer grinder adding little water at a time. Don't make it to a runny consistency. It has to be grainy.



Heat oil in a pan. Now add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add the turmeric, green chilli and ginger.

After about half a minute, add in the ground chana daal. Mix it all well. Add the lime juice, salt and sugar and again mix it all well.

Add a little water and cover the pan. Steam cook the daal for about 5-7 minutes. Keep stirring occasionally.

Garnish with grated fresh coconut and corriander leaves (if used).

Tangy yummyliscious snack is ready. Hope you all try it and love it.



Happy Cooking :)