WHISKAFFAIR'S
Wash the dal with water 2-3 times and soak it in 4-5 cups of water for 30 minutes.
Once the dal is soaked, drain the water and add the soaked chana dal to a pressure cooker. Add 3 cups of water to the cooker and close the lid. Pressure cook the dal on high heat for one whistle, then reduce the heat to low and cook for another 15 minutes.
Remove the cooker from heat and let the pressure release naturally. Once the pressure is released, open the lid of the cooker.
The dal must be well-cooked. If it’s not cooked well, cook it for another few minutes.
Strain the cooked dal using a fine-mesh strainer.
Reserve the water for other uses like making katachi amti or curries.
Add the cooked dal, jaggery, and ghee to a nonstick pan and cook on medium heat until the jaggery is dissolved and mixed with the dal.
Add nutmeg powder and cardamom powder and mix well.
Cook the mixture until it starts leaving the pan’s sides and is thickened nicely (12-15 minutes). Stir frequently and keep mashing the dal with the back of the spoon.
Remove the filling from the heat and let it cool down for an hour. Add the cooled puran to a blender or a food processor and blend until it is very smooth. You can also mash the puran with the heels of your hands until very smooth.
Add whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, salt, turmeric powder, and hot ghee to a large mixing bowl (or a parat) and mix well using your fingertips.
Gradually add water (approx 1 cup) and knead to make a very soft dough. The quantity of water will depend on the quality of the flour used.
Cover the dough with a damp kitchen towel and keep it aside for 30 minutes.
Divide the dough into 6-8 equal portions and roll each piece to make smooth balls. Similarly, divide the puran into 6-8 equal portions and roll to make balls.
Take one of the portions of the dough and slightly flatten the ball between your palms. Dust it with dry flour gently and roll to make a 4-5 inch circle.
Keep a filling ball in the circle’s center and bring the ends together.
Roll the filled dough ball in between your palms and keep rotating while rolling. This step will ensure that the puran reaches the corners of the poli.
Now keep the disc on the rolling surface. Dust with dry flour and roll using a rolling pin to make an 8-10 inch circle. While rolling, apply the pressure gently and go from one side to the other.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Once the skillet is hot, transfer the puran poli to it.
Cook until brown spots appear on the bottom side. Flip the poli and cook until brown spots appear on the other side.
Flip the poli again and apply 1 teaspoon ghee on each side. Press the poli using the back of a spoon and fry until golden brown from both sides.
Make all the poli in the same manner. Apply some more ghee and serve it with milk or katachi amti.