Poran Poli/पोरन पोड़ी(Sweet, Stuffed, Shallow fried Wheat Flour puff )

Poran poli and Ambti

In Southern  and Western part of India during any festival,or ceremony this delicacy is made along with tangy, spicy soup called Ambti. No festival in Maharashtra is complete without poran poli. It is sheer gastronomical pleasure to have this sweet and tangy combination. In some parts of Maharashtra it is eaten with Milk/ Curd. But my favorite choice is Ambti and Poran Poli. Top it up with some ghee (clarified butter) and it will taste heavenly. I always over eat when I make Poran Poli.

Preparation Time: 15 min.
Cooking Time: 60 min.
Servings: Approximately 10-12 Poran Poli will be made from above material.

Ingredients Required For Poran Poli : -


For Poli (Outer cover) : -

• 250 gm . Wheat flour.
• 25 -30 ml. clarified butter(ghee) / cooking oil.
• 1/2 Tea spoon salt.
• Water.
• 50 -60 ml. Cooking oil / ghee for cooking Poran Poli.

For Poran (Stuffing) : -

• 250 gm. Split Black Gram(Chana Dal).
• 50 - 75 gm. Jaggery/sugar.
• 1/2 Tea spoon Cardamom Powder.
• 1/2 Tea spoon Salt.
• 1/2 Tea spoon Turmeric powder.
• 750 ml. Water.

Direction To Make Poran Poli 

• First take the atta (wheat flour ) in a bowl add salt to it and mix.
• Add ghee/ oil to it and mix nicely using your fingers till it resembles bread crumbs.
• Add water in little proportions and knead.
• Knead to make a soft dough.
• Keep it aside.

Dough for Poran Poli

• For stuffing take washed chana dal in a pressure cooker add water , turmeric powder , salt and put the lid.
• Keep on gas on high flame till pressure is built then lower the flame and cook for 10min. 
• Remove from flame and allow the cooker to cool.
• Dal should be soft but not over boiled.

Chana dal boiled to softness

• Sieve the dal through a sieve and store the liquid (filtrate) for making Ambti.

• Keep a thick bottom wok on low flame and put boiled dal, jaggery/sugar in it and cook with regular mashing and stirring, till the mixture becomes like a dough.

Boiled chana dal being cooked with jaggery for Poran(filling)

Poran (filling) for Poran Poli

• Add cardamom powder to the cooked dal jaggery/sugar mixture cover and allow it to cool.
• Make small ball from the wheat flour dough flatten it a bit with your palms and make a depression in the center to a cup shape.

Ball of dough for poran poli

Dough ball flattened and made to a cup shape in the palm

• Fill the cold stuffing generously and seal the edges properly by pressing them together.

Poran filled in the dough cup

Edges being folded after filling poran

• Sprinkle some dry wheat flour on a rolling board and place the prepared stuffed ball on it, sprinkle some dry flour on the stuffed ball to avoid sticking and flatten it to make a flat round of 3-4 mm. thickness.

Dough ball filled and ready to be rolled

Rolled Poran Poli

• Heat a tawa (flat pan without edges) on gas and when hot place the rolled poran poli on the tawa.

Poran Poli being cooked on Tawa

•  Cook on both sides by applying little oil/ ghee, till golden brown on both sides.

Poran Poli

• Serve with Ambti/Milk/Curd/Ghee.

Poran poli with Ambti

Tips :

• Poran (stuffing) can be made and kept in the fridge for 2-3 days , so make it in advance for it will make your work easy.
• You can grind the boiled dal on a grinding stone before cooking it with jaggery /sugar. 
• Drain out water completely by sieving before cooking it with jaggery / sugar.
• Do not over cook the Dal because the stuffing will not come out correct and difficult to fill.
• More the stuffing filled better the Poran Poli.
• You can change the amount of sugar / jaggery as per the sweetness you want in the poran poli

Suggested Variations:

• To change the flavor of Poran cardamom powder can be replaced by nut meg powder / cinnamon powder.
• Adding 2 / 3 tea spoons of dry coconut powder gives poran poli an altogether different flavor.
• Refined flour / 50:50 mixture of refined flour and whole wheat flour can be taken for making the dough of poli.
• To make poran (filling) you can also cook the boiled dal with jaggery and little water till the jaggery looks thick and syrupy.

Boiled dal cooked with jaggery and little water

• Cool the mixture and sieve it through a sieve with regular mashing.

Sieving the cooked dal and jaggery mixture with regular mashing.

• Cook till it becomes like a dough of poran.

Poran (filling) for Poran Poli