Puran Poli/ Ghari Rotli

What is Puran Poli/ Ghari Rotli?

Puran Poli/ Ghari Rotli is an Indian Flatbread filled with sweetened cooked lentils and spices. It is usually prepared during festivals and special occasions. Lentils are cooked till soft and then spices and sugar or jaggery are added. This mixture is filled into a wheat or plain flour dough, rolled and roasted.

Famous in many parts of India during festivals, weddings, celebrations, etc, the flatbread varies a bit from state to state.

Gujarat:

We generally use wheat flour dough. The stuffing is made from tuvar dal (split pigeon pea). We usually add sugar or jaggery and cook it with cooked Tuvar dal till it becomes like a thick paste. Spices like cardamom, nutmeg, saffron, fennel seeds are added. Known as Puran Poli, Ghari Rotli, Vedmi,  Gujaratis like to enjoy it as a part of a main meal along with some kadhi, a green vegetable, ghee and rice. For my family it is a must to prepare Ghari Rotli during the Diwali festival. We love to make it for our New Year’s Day which falls immediately after Diwali.

Andhra Pradesh

Known as  Bobbatlu, Bobbatu, Poli or Obbattu in some parts of Andhra Pradesh, the filling is made from cooked chana dal (Bengal gram) and jaggery along with spices like cardamom. Traditionally the dough is made from all purpose flour but these days people use half wheat and half plain flour or just wheat flour. I’m made to understand that Bobbatlu is generally offered to God during festivals. It is common to serve it during weddings and birthday ceremonies.

Karnataka

It is known as Bele Holige, Holige or Obbattu, the filling is made from chana dal and jaggery. Wheat flour is used for the dough. Here too it is served during special occasions like weddings or during Yugadhi/Ugadi. It is served as a dessert with ghee.

Kerala

Boli or Obbattu is what it is called in Kerala. It is usually served during Onam as a part of the sadya or during weddings. The filling or puran is made from chana dal, jaggery, spices and coconut.

Maharashtra

Goes by the name Puran Poli in Maharashtra, it is served during Ganesh Chaturthi, Akshaya Tritiya, Diwali, Holi, Gudi Padwa. The filling or the puran is made from chana dal and jaggery with spices added to it. The dough is usually made from wheat flour. It is either enjoyed on its own with ghee or as a part of a meal especially with Katachi Amti (flavored sour curry).

Tamil Nadu 

Call it Opputtu,Paruppu Poli, Obbattu,Boli, In Tamil Nadu too its made from chana dal and jaggery. Some add coconut too. Many make it for the Tamil New Year. It is usually served on its own with ghee.

Happy Father’s Day 

A lot of importance, praise, appreciation, love and thought goes into celebrating Mother’s Day. However, I feel that Father’s Day has definitely drawn the short straw! It comes, cards are exchanged, gifts are bought and Father’s Day is over. Sadly, I feel that dads, papas, fathers, aboos, all over the world are less appreciated.  My dad didn’t help my mum to change nappies, bathe us, clothe us when we were young but he did so many other things for us(my brother, sister and me). I know now times have changed.  My son taking on a very active role in raising his two beautiful daughters, right from changing nappies, giving them a bath and cooking for the toddler.

Dad’s Role

From what I gather, I always cried when my dad would come home for lunch even though mum fed me before his arrival.  So, while having his lunch with his right hand, his left hand would be busy pulling the string to my hammock like ‘godiyu’ so that I may fall asleep. Yes back then there were no cots for babies! It was a godiyu.

My Dad 

My dad had protected and provided us with whatever we required for our daily lives, right from school stuff to things we need at home. He protected us to the extend that we didn’t have to venture out to do things on our own. He may have not taught me how to sign a cheque book but he definitely taught us the value of money. Though he owned a toy shop, we were not allowed to pick any toy we liked. If we wanted something, we had to know what the price was and how many weeks of pocket money would it take to get it. So we were taught to buy our toys or reading books even though it was a family owned business.

Our Upbringing

We were taught not to horde, so no extra shoes, dresses or basically anything. If one pair of shoe became small or broke, then we got another pair. Dresses were replaced when they became small or old. New shoes, toys or dresses were bought on our birthdays, for Diwali and when my dad or uncle went on a business trip abroad.  Maybe back then I may have not appreciated this system but now I just can’t  buy things that I don’t need. I will think over for several days before I get to buying it. Its a good lesson I learnt as it makes me less materialistic. I don’t need the latest in fashion clothes, bags or shoes.

My Dad – always helping

My dad would always pack my sister and my bags when we would leave home to go to the boarding school. He would remember to buy everything from soaps to clothes for us. After a few years, he would even buy our sanitary pads and my sister and I would want to hide in a tiny hole feeling shy! But for him that was all normal. My dad, naturally has a tendency to help anyone who needs it.

Still Being A Dad

Now we all are in our 50s/60s but my dad still thinks of us as though we are kids. His usual questions to us will be “What do you need from here (London)? Do you need any money? Are you fine? Are you sure you don’t need anything?” That makes me feel so comfortable and secure. It is these small gestures that make dads the rock of Gibraltar. They have solutions to every life related questions or problems.

No one parent can handle the overall development of a child. A well balanced character of any child is developed by both parents.  While mums are the hearts, dads are the minds. Mums do what the heart tells them and dads do what the mind tell them.

My Dad’s Favorite – Puran Poli/ Ghari Rotli

When Jagruti of Jagruti’s Cooking Odyssey requested some blogger friends to link up with her to celebrate Father’s Day, I knew what I was going to prepare. My dad, my late father in law and my hubby all love ghari rotli or puran poli. I think the word love is not enough. Whenever my mum would prepare it, my dad would insist that she leaves some filling or puran on the side to enjoy on its own. My grandfather would insist on having his own katori of ghee so he could dunk the rotli pieces in the ghee and enjoy it. Hubby loves it with kadhi. My father in law would always tell us to make khata meetha kadhi to go with it and extra ghee was a must. With so many memories connected to this sweet, sweet treat I had to make it to celebrate Father’s Day (in advance ;)).

• Mishti Doi by Sujata
• Baigan Bharta by Nayna
• Meat Masala Bharwa Baigan by Avin
• Masala Upma by Nivedita
• Sweet Vermicelli with Jaggery by Mina
• Mango basil and cashew yogurt popsicles (sugar free) by Jagruti
• Lotus Stem Kofta in Silky Gravy by Kriti

Ingredients Required For Puran Poli/ Ghari Rotli:

• Wheat Flour – Atta – use flour that we use for roti, paratha. Or use wheat pastry flour. Don’t use wheat flour meant for breads. Will need for making the dough and for dusting too.
• Water – to form the dough, also some to soak the saffron. Also need some warm water to soak the lentils and for cooking the lentils.
• Ghee – ghee is what gives puran poli its authentic taste. Required for the dough, for preparing the filling and also for serving.
• Tuvar Dal – toor dal, split pigeon peas, arhar dal.
• Saffron – for the filling.
• Sugar – for the filling.
• Cardamom  Powder– elachi.
• Nutmeg Powder – jaiphal.
• Fennel Seeds – valiyari, saunf.
• Mace Powder – javantri