Celebrating Makar Sankrat And A Warm Welcome To The Positive With GuL PoLi

 Makar Sankratichya Goad Goad Subhechya!

Dakshinayan is over and now the sun enters Uttarayan. Sankrant TaLli!

See the beautiful sun slant in the pictures. Looking at the GuL PoLi on the camera display got me so excited that I wanted to post immediately and also wish you here.

Couple of days ago was reading this post by Saee, she reminisces about all the beautiful memories of Sankrant from her childhood. Unlike her Gran and Mom, my Aai never made any kind of poLis. In my family, poLis were always sub contracted to the Sonarin (Gold smith's wife) in Thal and brought to Mumbai wrapped in newspaper by one of our relatives, on some special occasions.

I broke that tradition when I could dare to make PoLis. It must have been somewhere around year 2000 or so. I was a somewhat experienced cook running the household then. My Dad was pinning for poLis and I decided to try my hand at them. First attempted Puranpolis and then GuL PoLis.

Obviously my reference was the good old and the only cookbook I own, Annapurna by Mangala Barve. I do make poLis once in a while but I have not been know as an expert. My cousin sisters make beautiful poLis. Aha that reminds me, I must bring them here soon to showcase their recipes, now that I am in Mumbai!

Coming back to the recipe. I have made the GuL poLis with Mangala Barve's recipe before and they are easier to roll out but with the addition of besan to the GuL in the stuffing kills the whole essence of a GuL PoLi is my opinion. In the process I follow I omit the besan all together and keep GuL as the star ingredient, else why call it GuL PoLi?

My PoLi oozes GuL with every bite. See it here, isn't it tempting?

Ingredients

For the stuffing

1/4 kg GuL / Jaggery

1/4 cup khus khus

1/4 cup TiL / sesame seeds

handful of dry coconut slices

a large pinch of nutmeg

In a kadhai toast the khus khus, sesame seeds and dry coconut slices till rosy pink.

Grind to fine in the chutney grinder.  The toasted seeds and coconut release oil to make it into a paste. The grinder might heat up the paste, don't worry. 

In a microwave dish zap the jaggery for 30 secs. No more than that we don't need to melt the jaggery all we need is to make it crumble. While still warm press it with the back of a spoon.

Now add the powdered khus khus, til and coconut mix into the jaggery. Add the nutmeg powder. Knead well to get a smooth ball. Keep aside.

For the cover

1 cup whole wheat flour/ atta

1/2 cup all purpose flour/ maida

1 serving spoon chickpea flour/ besan

salt to taste

2 tablespoons oil

water as needed (200ml)

In the food processor, put all the flour together, add the oil. Run the machine while you add water as required about 200 ml to form a smooth ball of dough.

Divide the stuffing into 12 parts and the dough into 12 parts.

Make a dona / cup with the dough and stuff the mix into it. Seal it into a ball. Press to make it into a disc. Roll out each disc into chapatis as thin a possible without tearing. If the chapati tears the jaggery will ooze out while roasting and char the griddle and the poLi, so be careful. 

Slow roast on a well heated griddle or non stick pan. Turn once roasted well on to the other side. The PoLi needs careful handling so turn only once to completely roast on both sides. Fold twice to get quarter folds like you do to chapati.

Stay warned the GuL PoLis should always be served cold lest you want to scald your tongue with hot ones. Those who love ghee can go for a generous drizzle.

Enjoy!

PS: today's lunch just chana chat and GuL PoLi.