Puran Poli, the traditional Maharashtrian ghee-laden, delicacy, made by stuffing whole wheat dough with soft-cooked Bengal gram or chana dal, jaggery, cardamom, nutmeg, is prepared for festivals like Holi, Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali, but occupies a pride of place on Gudi Padwa and is a hugely loved by several Bollywood actors.
Actor Mrunal Thakur, a self-confessed foodie says, “I lock myself up in my room when there is Puran Poli at home.”
Some years ago, on the sets of Ajay Devgn’s film, ‘Singham’, with 15 Marathi actors as part of the cast, Puran Poli was the unanimous choice for celebrations.
Radhika Apte known for her films, ‘Forensic’ and ‘Badlapur’, also relishes Puran Poli. “My favourite is Puran Poli. I don't even know if Puran Polis are made only for Gudi Padwa, but my mom used to make Puran Poli and I used to love that,” she reminisced some years ago, in an interview.
Shraddha Kapoor, whose mother Shivangi, is a Maharashtrian, celebrates Gudi Padwa in a big way and recollects enjoying sweets as a child on Padwa, especially Puran Poli, at her grandparents’ home.
Mulgis (or girls and women) apart, for Indian Idol 1 runner-up and Bigg Boss contestant and singer, Rahul Vaidya, Gudi Padwa is incomplete till he tucks into his mother’s home-made, pillowy-soft Puran Polis.
While Puran Polis are usually made in every home, many home chefs and caterers too prepare good quality ones and people order these in Mumbai.
Bhaskar’s Puran Poli Ghar in Kandivali and Thane is sought-after. Aaswad in Dadar is a good bet, too. As is Panshikar in Dadar. In Navi Mumbai, Laxmi’s Puran Poli is popular and one can order online too. Patil Kaki or The Maratha Kitchen, Goregaon East, are some other options.
So, make Puran Poli at home, else, order online or buy from sweet shops and make your Gudi Padwa even more sweet.
How to make Puran Poli at home
Soak one cup of chana daal in three to four cups of water for 2 hours. Pressure-cook for four to five whistles, or until the daal is easy to smush between your fingers.
In a paraat or large mixing bowl, sieve two cups of whole wheat flour with ¾ cup of all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon salt, and one teaspoon fennel (moti saunf) powder. Mix well. Add lukewarm water and knead the dough. Once the dough comes together, add a tablespoon of ghee and knead again to incorporate more air in the dough. The dough should be firm. Cool it in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.
Heat a heavy-bottomed pan on a medium flame. Add two tablespoons of ghee. Add a teaspoon each of dried ginger powder, fennel powder and cardamom powder. You can also add nutmeg or jaiphal powder. Once you get the aroma from the spices, add the pressure-cooked chana daal and mix well. Add one cup of grated jaggery and reduce the heat to low. Keep stirring till the mixture becomes quite dry. Smash and set aside to cool.
Heat a tawa, and spread a thin layer of ghee on it.
Roll the dough out into small puri-sized covers. Add a spoonful of chana daal-jaggery mixture in the centre. Seal the ends - you can form a sort of potli, and press down so the mixture doesn't spill out when you roll it again.
Dust with dry flour and roll the dough gently. Shallow-fry on the tawa, applying ghee as necessary. Serve hot.
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