Puran Puri - Chappatis made with sweet lentil stuffing

Puran puris are sweet chappatis and usually reserved  for special occassions.  I like making them as they are easy to make but above all very filling.  Whenever, I make puran puris - I think of the first time I was asked to help roll them out by my mother in law and I had to tell her that I didn't know how to!  How embarrasing!  Anyway, she showed me and it wasn't as difficult as I thought.  However, it still brings back those memories of when I had just got engaged. 

Ingredients for making 10-12 puris:

For the Puran(stuffing):

1 cup toor dall (The toor dall is often called tuver dall, pigeon peas, Congo peas or gungo peas.

½  cup sugar (more if you have a sweet tooth)

½  teaspoon of finely ground cardommon

½  a teaspoon of ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon of fennel seeds (these give a lovely fragrance to the dish but it's optional) 
1   tablespoon clarified butter (ghee)

For the Chappatti:

2 cups of chappatti flour
2 tablespoons sunflower oil

Half a cup ghee or butter for spreading on the puran puri

Method:

1. Wash the toor dall with warm water.

2. Put 3 cups of water in a saucepan and add the toor dall.  Allow this to cook on a high gas until it starts to boil. Reduce the heat to medium and allow it to cook. You need to allow the toor dall to cook without having to add extra water. The dall needs to be overcooked so that when you stir the dall - it starts to look like mash.

3. Once the dall has cooked, add the sugar, cardommon and nutmeg.

4. The sugar will melt and the dall will start to look runny.

5. Mix well and allow this to cook at a gentle heat, stirring occassionally until the liquid evaporates. Doing it this way, makes the dall splutter a lot so be careful it doesn't splutter on your hands.

6. If you have a microwave -  as soon as you add the sugar, mix and transfer the mixture to a microwave dish and cook with the cover on for 5 minutes, stir and cook for 5 minutes. Repeat this until the mixture looks almost like mash potato. Add the ghee and allow the mixture to cool slightly.

7.   Whilst the puran mixture is cooling, prepare the chappatti flour.

8.    Sieve  the flour and make a dip in the middle.

9.    Add the sunflower oil.

10.  Using warm water, mix the flour well.  Make sure that you pour the water in small amounts so that the dough doesn't get too soft.  Take a small teaspoon of oil in your palms and knead  until the dough feels pliable - almost like "play dough".  Cover the dough and let it rest for half an hour.  

11.  Take small amounts of the sweet puran and make a dozen small golf size balls.

12.   Divide the Chappati dough into a similar number of balls - nearly the same size as the puran balls or very slightly bigger.

13.   Using some flour to dust your work surface, roll out the chappatti flour into a small puri size and place the sweet puran in the middle.
  

 14. Fold  the chappatti edges to seal the puran inside.

15.  Turn the ball upside down and gently press it down by hand.

16.   Gently - using some dusting flour, roll out the puran puri.

17.   Put the frying pan, griddle or tava on the heat.  Transfer the puran puri to cook on the tava.

18.   Allow it to cook on both sides to a golden brown.   It should have some dark spots as shown below.  The chappati should rise as shown below. (Cooking and taking photographs is hard when you are on your own...hence my chapatis got a few more dark patches!!LOL)

19.  Remove and drizzle with ghee or butter before serving with any curry.

For the ultimate wow factor serve them with lots of butter or ghee and sprinkled with almonds

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