Tel Poli – a variant of Puran poli made with generous amount of oil.
Holi, for Maharashtrians, is incomplete without Puran poli or Tel poli. Puran poli is a traditional Maharashtrian dish made for special ocassions like Holi, Ganesh Chaturthi, Gudi Padva etc. Telpoli is similar to Puranpoli, the only variation being the usage of generous amount of oil. Telpoli can be served with katachi amti as a main course dish . It also makes for a great tea time /tiffin box snack.
The recipe for tel poli though not difficult, is a bit tricky. The dough has to be kneaded really well so that it becomes very soft and smooth which in turn will make the outer covering very thin. The filling (puran) needs to be of right consistency so that tel polis can be rolled out easily. After rolling the tel polis, they have to be gently lifted and placed on the pan to prevent breaking of the polis.
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About Tel poli
Puranpoli is a popular Maharashtrian flatbread stuffed with a filling made of chana dal and jaggery. Puranpoli is made in different ways across the country. The stuffing is made in different ways. Some make the stuffing using chana dal, while others use tuvar dal. There is another type of puran poli where the stuffing is made with dates and sesame seeds. Tel poli is once such variant of puranpoli. It is similar to Puranpoli, but made with generous amount of oil unlike puranpoli.
List of Ingredients to make Tel poli
Chana Dal
Jaggery
Refine flour (Maida)
Nutmeg powder
Salt
Turmeric powder
Oil
How to make Tel poli
To prepare the dough, in a mixing bowl add maida, 2 tbp oil, a pinch of turmeric powder and mix well.
Add water as required and knead well for 1o to 15 minutes to make a smooth dough.
Pour 3 tbsp oil on the dough. The dough should get immersed in oil.
Cover and keep aside for 2 hours.
To prepare the stuffing for telpoli, wash and soak chana dal in water for 2 hours.
Crush cardamom into fine powder. Keep aside.
Pressure cook chana dal for 3 to 4 whistles.
Open the pressure cooker, when the steam has escaped completely.
Strain the dal . Keep cooked dal aside. Reserve the water in which chana dal is cooked. This water can be used to make katachi amti.
Transfer the cooked dal to a big strainer and mash the dal. There is an equipment called ‘puran yantra’ which is used to mash the cooked chana dal. Since, I do not have a puran yantra I have used a strainer to mash the cooked chana dal.
Transfer the mashed puran mixture to a pan. Add jaggery cook the mixture on a low flame, while stirring continuously. Add cardamom powder and nutmeg powder.
Keep stirring until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan and turn into a thick and dry mixture. Keep this aside.
Divide the stuffing mixture into medium sized balls. Divide the dough into medium sized balls.
Take a dough ball and stuff the puran inside it and bring all the edges of the dough ball together and seal it.
Place a butter paper on a rolling board (chakla) and apply oil on the butter paper. Place the stuffed dough ball on the butter paper and flatten as much as possible using your fingers,.
Apply oil to the rolling pin (belan) and roll into thin poli. Stretch the tel poli as much as you can with the help of the rolling pin.
Heat a pan and drizzle oil on the pan. Place the poli carefully on the pan.
Another method is to gently wrap the tel poli around the rolling pin and then place it on the pan and slowly unwrap the tel poli. (Watch the video below for better understanding)
Cook tel polis on low flame. When the tel poli is cooked well on one side, flip and cook on the other side. Cook till golden brown spots appear on both sides of the tel poli. Tel polis are ready to be served.
Recipe Card
Tel Poli
Ingredients
- 1 cup split chickpeas (chana dal )
- 1 cup jaggery Â
- 1 cup refined flour (maida)
- 3 to 4 Cardamoms
- ¼ tsp nutmeg powder (jaiphal)
- Salt as per taste
- a pinch of turmeric powder
- 5 tbsp oil for kneading the dough
- Oil for cooking the tel polis.
Instructions
For the dough
- In a mixing bowl, add maida.
- Add 2 tbsp oil, salt and  turmeric powder. Mix well.
- Add water as required and knead for 10 to 15 minutes to make to a smooth, soft dough. Â
- Pour 3 tbsp oil over the dough, such that the dough is immersed in oil.
- Cover the dough and keep it aside for 2 hours. .
For the stuffing/ puran
- Crush the cardamom into fine powder and keep aside.
- Wash and soak chana dal in water for around 2 hours. Â
- Drain the water and transfer soaked chana dal to a pressure cooker.
- Add 3 cups of water and pressure cook the dal for 3 to 4 whistles.
- Open the pressure cooker after the steam escapes fully. Strain the dal. Reserve the water in which chana dal is cooked. This water can be used to make Katachi Amti. Â Â
- The drained chana dal needs to be mashed well. There is an equipment called ‘puran yantra’ which is used to mash the cooked chana dal. Since, I do not have a puran yantra I have used a strainer to mash the cooked chana dal.
- Transfer the mashed puran mixture to a pan.
- Add jaggery to it and cook the mixture on a low flame, while stirring continuously.
- Add cardamom powder and nutmeg powder.
- Keep stirring until  the mixture leaves the sides of the pan and turn into a thick and dry mixture. Keep this aside.
How to proceed
- To prepare the tel poli, divide the dough into medium sized balls. Divide the stuffing mixture into medium sized balls.
- Take a dough ball and stuff the puran inside it and bring all the edges of the dough ball together and seal it.Â
- Place a butter paper on a rolling board (chakla).
- Apply oil on the butter paper. Â
- Place the stuffed dough ball on the butter paper. Â
- Flatten the dough ball with the help of your fingers as much as possible.
- Apply oil to the rolling pin (belan) and roll into thin poli.Â
- Stretch the tel poli as much as you can with the help of the rolling pin.
- Heat a pan and drizzle oil on the pan.
- Transfer the tel poli carefully onto the pan and take the butter paper off.
- Another method is to gently wrap the tel poli around the rolling pin and then place it on the pan and slowly unwrap the tel poli. (Watch the video for better understanding)
- Cook tel polis on low flame.
- When the tel poli is cooked well on one side, flip and cook on the other side.
- Cook till golden brown spots appear on both sides of the tel poli.
- Tel polis are ready to be served.Â
Recipe Video
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