'Paruppu boli / Puran Poli' is one of my most favorited variety of all. 'Puruppu' means lentils and Poli refers to the sweet, soft flatbread, which melts in our mouth.
This boli recipe is for soft, mildly sweet just like your famous sweet shop style dish.
Poli and Vada are the most common snacks available in the streets of Tamil Nadu, a southern tip state of India. While passing by the streets of Chennai, we can see the hoarding of 'Boli Stall' everywhere.
This is just a small sample to reveal Chennaities addiction towards Boli. Even the small Boli stalls will be crowded with 'devotees of Boli's'. Hehehe, we are also one among them.
I think the love towards Boli, starts with my FIL, He goes shopping in the evening and brings a bag of goodies from the boli stall, with a special pack for my son. It is not a pack of just bolies, it is a bundle of love and affection.
When I made this boli recipe this evening, we were speaking only about my FIL's affection towards these goodies and how he passed it on to the generations.
Searching for other interesting Snack recipes to pair up with this sweetness? try out these, Mini Murukku, Murukku.
What is Paruppu Poli /Boli?
Paruppu is Tamil word refers to lentils, which is one of the important protein sources of South Indian cuisine. Boli / Poli is a sweet snack in India. This is made with maida, whereas North Indian's Puran Poli is commonly made with whole wheat flour. But the inner fillings recipe is almost the same throughout India.
But there are also other varieties that are as popular as this boli recipe. Coconut poli/ Thengai Poli, Kara Poli/ Spicy Poli are to name some.
The different names
If you are searching for the Kerala style boli recipe, a sweet surprise-your search ends here. Kerala boli and Tamil Nadu's paruppu boli are the same.
This sweet boli is also called as obattu or holige recipe in Karnataka. These are the different names of the dish in different regions. But the ingredients, preparation, and cooking method are the same. To put in one sentence, the same dish with different names.
How to serve Paruppu Boli?
Generally, this dish is considered as a snack rather than a dessert. This has mild sweetness, maybe this quality makes it served as a snack.
This South Indian sweet is good to serve with spicy and crispy South Indian evening snacks. This is usually served with spicy vada, pakoda, bonda, or samosa.
Best to pair with?
This Boli recipe is delicious when served along with these
Karasev, Namkin Pare, Paneer Cutlet, Corn Cutlet, Potato Cutlet, Punugulu, Gujarati Muthia, Instant Vada, Maddur Vade, Gobi 65, Onion Bajji,
How to prepare boli:
Make the Base. This is the first step of this boli recipe. In a large mixing bowl, add all-purpose flour /Maida, baking powder, salt, turmeric powder, and cooking oil. Mix to form soft chapathi dough. Rest the dough for 2-3 hours, which makes the poli softer. Keep Aside.
Soak Bengal Gram. the second step of boli sweet is to soak kadalai paruppu/ Bengal gram for about 20 minutes. Then pressure cook until the center is soft and cooked completely.
Allow the pressure cooker to release its steam naturally. Then drain the excess water. Allow it to bring down to room temperature and grind it to a fine paste.
Make the Jaggery Syrup. The third step is how to make boli is to make the jaggery syrup. For this add a quarter cup of water to the jaggery. And cook until jaggery becomes frothy on the top. Switch off the stove and filter if there are any impurities.
Make Sweet Mixture. Heat a thick bottomed pan, add jaggery syrup, ground Bengal gram, grated coconut, and cardamom powder. Continuously stir in the medium flame until it becomes a thick paste.
Divide into equal parts. Make equal sized balls with the sweet mixture and the dough.
Stuffing. Then stuff the sweet balls inside the dough and start pressing like big circles. Pat the dough into little circles and stuff the jaggery balls inside the dough to form bigger balls.
Cook. Place these flat circles in a flat pan and cook it in low-medium heat till the dough gets completely cooked with a golden spot on both sides. Now our Paruppu boli are ready!!
Other desserts you may like,
Paruppu boli / Puran Poli
Ingredients
Cooking the chana dal
- ½ cup chana dal /split chickpea
- 1 cup water for cooking chana dal
Making the jaggery syrup
- ¾ cup jaggery
- ¼ cup water for making jaggery syrup
- ½ cup grated coconut optional
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
For the crust
- 1 cup all purpose flour / maida
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoon ghee or cooking oil
- 4 tablespoon water +2 tablespoon of water
For the cooking
- 2 tablespoon ghee /clarified butter
Instructions
For the chana dal
- Soak chana dal for 20 minutes.
- To the pressure cooker pan, add chana dal.
- Close the lid, and cook in high heat till the first whistle. Then turn to low heat, and cook for 12 minutes.
- Then wait for 20 minutes for the steam to release naturally and return to the room temperature.
- Drain the excess water and grind it to a smooth and silky paste. And keep aside.
For the jaggery syrup
- To a pan, add jaggery and quarter cup of water.
- Over medium heat, bring it to boil. And cook until jaggery becomes frothy on the top.
- Remove it from the stove and filter it to remove any impurities.
- In a pan, add mashed chana dal, jaggery syrup, grated coconut, cardamom powder.
- And cook it in the medium heat until it becomes a thick paste.
- Allow it to cool and set aside.
For the crust
- In a mixing bowl, add all purpose flour, baking powder, salt, turmeric powder, and vegetable oil.
- Rub the flour for 3 minutes until the vegetable oil incorporated with the flour.
- Add water in intervels to make soft, smooth, pliable dough.
- Rest the dough for 2-3 hours.
The making
- Make 4 balls out of dough and 4 equal sized sweet balls out of chana dal filling mixture.
- Dust the dough ball, and using rolling pin make a circle of 5 inch diameter.
- Place the sweet ball at the center.
- Bring all the edges together, press and fold like a stuffed ball.
- Dust again and roll a thin flat circle evenly. Set aside.
The cooking
- Place a griddle over the stive, and drizzle ghee.
- Place the boli and cook for 2 minutes on each side, or until it is cooked and with golden brown spots on the surface.
- Repeat the rolling and cooking process for the remaining dough and the sweet balls.
- Serve hot or warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Serving Suggestions:
Serve along with bajji, or samosas.
Tips and Variations Paruppu Boli - Obbattu | Puran Poli Recipe:
1. For variations, try adding grated coconut along with the jaggery mixer.
2. For a savory variation, stuff with potato masala.
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Linsy Patel
yummy and you made it so easy, love to try it, visit me too yaar.
Angie Schneider
They look beautiful and delicious!
Gayathri Ramanan
healthy dish..looks so good and delicious
Sona S
Beautifully done, looks delicious and yummy.
Wer SAHM
poli looks tempting recipe...
Rebecca Subbiah
oh my this would be good with my cuppa now
Priya Suresh
Hardly seen peoples saying no to bolis especially paruppu bolis..Wish i could get one rite now.