Gluten-free Puran Poli

This gluten-free version of Puran Poli, made with sorghum (jowar) flour, is equally delicious!

Puran Poli was one of the many dishes that I thought I would have to give up when I went gluten free. But then I figured, if I can make gluten-free chapati with sorghum (jowar) flour, then why I can’t I make gluten-free polis as well?

Of course, if you have worked with sorghum flour, you’ll know that it is far trickier and stickier than your whole wheat flour. And the process to make the dough is different as well as you need to make it on the stove instead of simply in a bowl. But once you get a taste of the Poli after it has been stuffed with yummy filling, you’ll agree that all the effort you put in was totally worth it.

Check it out!

(This recipe is a part of a series about how the method of stuffing a piece of dough and flattening it out unites us across cultures. Check out the complete series here.)

Gluten-free Jowar Puran Poli recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup sorghum (jowar) flour
1 cup water
8 tsps ghee
1/2 cup bengal gram (chana dal)
1/2 cup jaggery powder
4-5 cardamoms

Method:
Soak the chana dal in water for one hour. Pressure cook it till the dal turns soft. Drain excess water and mash well.

In a pan, heat the dal, jaggery and cardamom on a low flame. Keep stirring till the moisture dries up. Transfer to a bowl and cool.

Heat water in a pan. Add 2 tsps of ghee. When the water boils, mix in the jowar flour and cook till the water gets absorbed. Transfer to a plate and knead well for 10 minutes with a spatula or with the palms of your hand.

Divide the dough into equal parts. Roll each part of the dough into a ball and then flatten it into a circle either with a rolling pin or with your fingers.

Take a small portion of the filling and place it in the centre of the flattened dough. Bring the edges together to form the dough back into a bowl. Make sure there are no cracks.

Flatten the stuffed ball of dough into a circle with your fingertips. If you are using a rolling pin, use it lightly and place the dough on a piece of parchment paper first. Otherwise, it will stick to the surface.

(Pro tip: If this is your first time working with sorghum (jowar) flour, you may find it tough to work with the dough. In that case, what you can do is, flatten two bowls of dough into circles of the same size. Take the filling mixture and spread it on one of the circles, without touching the edges. Place the other circle of dough on top of the first one and press the edges together to seal it.)

In a pan, add a little ghee and place the Poli. After a few seconds, flip it. Cook till both sides are a golden brown. Brush the Poli with ghee if you feel it is too dry.

Serve warm with a cup of melted ghee.