Puran Poli(Stuffed Sweet Bread)

The first half of January is a pretty busy in our household, with festivals. We have Pongal, which is our harvest festival. It is celebrated for 4 days. The first day is called Bhogi. On this day, the house is cleaned, and all the junk is brought to the front yard and we have a bonfire. The second day is the main day, Pongal or Makara Sankranti. On this day, we pay our salutations to the Sun for a good year and harvest. On the third day, we pay tribute to the farm animals that help us throughout the year. It is called Maatu Pongal. On the fourth day, we visit our parents and grandparents to pay our respect to them. It is called Kanum Pongal. There is a plenty of food for four days. Each day is a special menu. The highlight of the festival is eating sugarcane.


Today I made Puran Poli along with dal vada.

Ingredients:
1 C channa dal(broken garbanzo beans) soaked in water for 30 minutes
1/2 C fresh grated coconut
1 1/2 C jaggery(Indian brown sugar)
For the bread:
1 1/2 C all purpose flour
1 pinch salt
1/4 t turmeric powder
1/2 C sesame oil

Method:

1. Mix the dry ingredients for the bread in a large bowl. Add the oil and enough water and knead to make a pliable dough. Cover and set aside.

2. Boil the channa dal in a pot with water, till it is soft. Drain the water completely. Grind the cooked dal in a blender or food processor with jaggery and coconut.

3. Cook the mixture on a low medium heat till all the moisture leaves. Remove from heat and mix 1 teaspoon of powdered cardamom.

4. Make small lemon sized balls out of the dough. Grease a banana leaf or wax paper with sesame oil. Place the dough ball on it and flatten with fingers. Place a teaspoon of the puran(dal mixture) in the middle. Fold the edges over the puran to seal. Press and flatten to make a bread.

5. Heat a griddle and grease with 1/2 teaspoon of ghee. place the bread on  it and cook for 2 minutes. Flip over and cook the other side too. Remove from heat. repeat the process  for the rest of dough. Serve hot with ghee on it.