Tamil New Year - Puran Poli / Obbattu

Iniya Tamizh Puthaandu Nalvaazhthukkal Happy Tamil New Year. Sorry I have no idea about the significance and rituals, but it is all about new beginning!  Next time I visit India shalll try to dig into in elders brain to get into the roots, as of now all I remember is dad doing long pooja (prayer) and mum cooking all good food! As kids my sis being responsible helped mum in cooking and I was forced to help dad for prayer preparation and dad is a perfectionist, I will be assigned to do all the annoying work (you know 2nd assistant work). While all going on in full swing I usually sneak out to play with doggie, my mum not being happy used to say "stop playing and concentrate on God so that you could study well" Dang! I will be left speechless do the necessary. 

Special food that will be usually prepared are puran poli's, pachadi (raw mango, jaggery, tamarind  and neem flowers not my fav coz of neem flowers, mum will force it into our throats!). We fast till pooja/offerings are done, contentment of food we get after long wait is supreme. Again I'm missing all these fun here! When mum was here with me, she made puran polies as it is in my top listed favourites, she makes the best according to me, neither did I want to miss a chance to note it down. So here is the recipe do enjoy. Mum jaan has stored in the freezer for me i'm going to enjoy my share :D

Forgetting not, THANKS TONS all you lovely people for encouraging words regarding my PhD it DID rise my confidence level and motivated me. Love ya! 

                                                            This dry the cooked dhal should be

                                  This is how stuffing should be after dhal mixed and cooked with Jaggery

PS. Original recipe demands Jaggery, due to availabilities I used palm sugar, which is one reason why my polies are bit pale in colour!



Ingredients
For stuffing
150 gram dry Channa dhal
150 - 175 gram Jaggery / Palm sugar (you change sweetness accordingly, we like them just there, not real sweet so we opted for 150 gram)

Method
Cook Channa dhal till is soft and dry (not soggy). (Important point here add water just for it to cook, less amount than when making normal dhal)
Once it is cooked, still hot, smash it very well and let them to cool.
In a heavy bottom pan, add Jaggery and let them slowly melt (Just in case if they don't melt evenly, add may be few table spoon of water which helps to melt faster)
Once jaggery is in running consistency, slowly add in cooked dhal and keep stirring.
Soon after both jaggery and dhal is mixed they will appear in liquid form, don't worry, keep stirring on medium or low heat, till water evaporates and they become like soft soggy dough. Now let it cool in refrigerator for a while so it hardens.

For outer dough.
250 gram Mida
1 tbspn of Ghee (clarified butter)
Pinch of salt
Required water ( Dough should be smiliar to dough for roties/ chapatti )

Knead the dough for while, so it become more elastic and super soft.

Now make balls from channa dhal and jaggery mixture, desired size.
Similar make balls from mida dough, one size larger.
Next roll mida dough to small disc, to fit in the dhal stuffing.
Enclose the stuffing inside the mida dough and very carefully seal the outer surface.
Use some dry mida and the rolling pin to roll the puran polies to larger disc, not too thin, very carefully. Use enough amount of dry mida it to prevent sticking to the surface.
Cook the rolled puran polies on preheated skillet, use oil or ghee according to your taste till it cooked on the surface and they slowly starts to char.

Serve it hot with ghee/clarified butter!

Note, mida quantity depends on how think or thin you want the outer layer to be. So mida quantity may vary according to your choice.