Carrot/Coconut Puran Poli-Happy Pongal !!!

Tamil Pongal heralds the hope of a new era of prosperity. It signifies the end of the harvest season with plenty of hopes pinned on the entire Tamil month of 'Thai' beginning with the Pongal Day.



A Tamil saying goes on that "Thai Piranthal Vali Pirakkum" meaning that when the month of Thai dawns there will be way of love, peace, harmony, prosperity, joyness in everyone's life. The month of Thai (starting on January 14 or 15) is considered very auspicious. Young people eagerly await Thai, for it promises wedlock for them. Others too, expectantly wait for the arrival of this month for celebrating some other happy occasions. Pongal is the embodiment of Tamil culture.

 

The best of South Indian dishes are relished during the harvest festival of Pongal making the occasion a gourmet's delight.Come Pongal and many of the roads, lanes and by-lanes of South India present a riot of colors, with elaborate Kolam drawn using white and colored powders in front of houses, shops and offices.

On this auspicious occasion i thought poli would be a great  dessert to mark the festival season and it was prepared with three pooranams(stuffing).One being the parrupu (dal)pooranam other two with the coconut stuffing and carrot stuffing.So lets go to the recipe.

Ingredients:



Channa dal(yellow gram)-1 cup

Jaggery -1 cup

All purpose flour-2 cups

Salt-a pinch

Water-As required

Oil-2 tsp

Cardamom powder-1 tsp

Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp

Coconut Stuffing:

Grated coconut:1/2 cup

Jaggery-1/4 cup

Ghee-2 tsp

Cardamom powder-1 tsp

Carrot Poli stuffing:

Grated Carrots-1/2 cup

Sugar/jaggery-5 tbs

Ghee-2 tsp

Grated coconut-1/2 cup

Cardamom powder-3/4 tsp

Fry the carrots and coconut in ghee and then add the sugar and cardamom.

Method:



Cook channa dal in a pressure cooker till it turns soft. Drain out excess water until the dal becomes dry. Add jaggery and cook further , then mash into a soft paste. Add the cardamom powder to it and mix well. Form small balls of equal size and place it aside.Refrigerate it for sometime if you find the stuffing to be little watery.Now mix together the all purpose flour, oil, water and salt .I did not add turmeric powder to he dough. Make  soft dough out of it. Knead it well. Divide into  equally small portions.Then with greased palms , take one portion of the dough and flatten it into a disc of the size of the palm .

Place a ball of  jaggery stuffing ,coconut or carrot  stuffing in the center and fold the disc from all sides to cover the stuffing completely.On a well floured board  or over a sheet of transparent plastic wrap, gently roll out each poli to a 4 inches disc. This can get tricky as the stuffing does try to slide out.Handle it carefully and slowly. Roast each poli on a hot griddle.Pour some oil or ghee around it. Fry both the sides well . Serve it warm with butter .It tasted delicious(heavenly with butter :) ).