Poli is a traditional Indian sweet made during many festive occasions. There are basically two varieties of Poornam Poli – one thats stuffed with a coconut jaggery filling and the other with a bengal gram and jaggery filling. Both are extremely delicious and every household have their own way of doing these festive treats.  Traditionally  the outer dough of the Poornam Poli is made with maida and its a slightly laborious process. The maida is mixed with turmeric and a pinch of salt and doused with gingely oil. The traditional poli also requires to be made by flattening the maida on to a greased banana leaf and spreading with the fingers, which are also greased with more gingely oil. Its then “stuffed” with the poornam and spread out again on to the leaf, with more oil. Normally after a session of “poli making” the kitchen are so heavily oiled and get so greasy. It requires a lot of cleaning up after. TOday my version is made more healthier by making the outer dough with Wheat Flour and rolling the stuffing the polis just like you would, a paratha!  If you miss the elasticity of the maida, you can try making them with 50% atta and 50% maida.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup Wheat Flour.

A Pinch of Salt.

A pinch of turmeric.

1/2 Cup Warm Water.

2 Tsp Gingely Oil.

1/2 Cup Jaggery.

1/2 Cup Coconut.

1/8 Cup Water.

1/4 Tsp Cardamom Powder.

PREPARATION:

• Add a pinch of salt, turmeric and the gingely oil and knead the wheat flour with warm water slowly and firmly until you get a soft pliable dough. This is extremely important for the easy spreading of the polis. It should feel soft, and pliable. If you feel its too hard, add a few drops of water and oil and keep kneading until you get the required texture. Spread a layer of oil on the ball and keep covered with a damp cloth.

• In a flat heavy bottomed vessel, add the jaggery and water and allow it to melt. When it starts boiling, add the measured grated coconut.
• Keep stirring until you get a slightly solid consistency – one where you can make a poornam ball. ( This is almost similar to how we make the poornams for the Sweet Kozhukattais.)
• When its a little cool, make little poornam balls and set aside.
• Take a large lemon sized ball and make a dent with your thumb. Shape in to a form of a diya and drop a poornam ball inside the depsression. Now close the edges and seal it by twisting the top.

• Dust with a little flour and flatten them  in to round chappathis, like you would do with an aloo paratha.
• Cook the sweet poornam filled chappathis over a hot tava greasing it with ghee or gingely oil.
• Sweet Wheat Poli with Coconut Jaggery Poornam is ready for Neivedhyam.
• It has a lot less oil and fat, and subsitution of wheat flour for all purpose flour makes it all the more healthier.
• Half the carbs – double the fun!!
• Sweet Wheat Polis are traditionally made in our household during Pongal.