Puran Poli with Sweet Potato

Puran Poli is a festive Indian sweet dish. This flatbread dessert called puranpoli is stuffed with sweet potato and served with vegan ghee.

Try this innovative and fusion recipe this festive season! Everyone will love it.

Puran Poli or Puranpoli is a sweet stuffed flatbread prepared in different parts of India. "Puran" means stuffing and "Poli" means flatbread or pancake. 

The stuffing is traditionally prepared with lentils (chana dal) and jaggery that's cooked in ghee. It's then stuffed into a dough prepared with flour, flattened, and then cooked.

One dish many names

The method of preparation varies from place to place. Some add coconut or nuts to the stuffing, the flour used can be different and even the thickness of these pancakes can vary.

Different parts of India have different names for puranpoli. In Maharashtra, it's called Puran Poli and is mainly made of chana dal, sugar, and whole wheat flour.

In Gujarati cuisine, it's called Vedmi, and it's made with toor dal, jaggery, and wheat flour. In Kerala, it's called Boli and is made with chana dal, sugar, and maida.

It's called Boli/Sweet Poli in Tamil Nadu, Bobbatlu in Telugu, Obbattu, Holige in Kannada, and is made with chana dal, jaggery, maida, and sometimes even coconut.

Favorite fusion recipes

• Mexican Pani Puri
• Paneer Samosa Pizza
• Chai Cheesecake
• Tandoori Quesadilla
• Carrot Halwa Ice Cream
• Mexican Casserole with Gnocchi
• Puff Pastry Samosa
• Indian Curry Pasta
• Thandai Chocolate Bark
• Dabeli Pizza
• French Loaf Vada Pav

The surprise ingredient

If it isn't obvious yet, I decided to go with sweet potatoes to make the stuffing. It's in season and why not! It's very easy to cook and can be used in sweet and savory recipes!

Sweet Potato is a power food. It has antioxidants, anti-inflammatory nutrients, and blood sugar-regulating nutrients.

Sweet Potato recipes

I have many savory recipes with sweet potato but I didn't have any dessert recipes! That's why this sweet potato dessert was very important to share!

• Sweet Potato Masala Puri
• Masala Dosa with Sweet Potato Stuffing
• Quinoa Sweet Potato Idli
• Chole Chaat with Sweet Potato Tikki

Why make this

• vegan sweet flatbread recipe
• a new and different flavor to try
• simple and easy to make
• a healthy sweet potato dessert
• doesn't need any milk or nuts
• needs basic pantry essentials
• can be served for breakfast, snack and as a dessert
• loved by all

Flour - whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour/maida are used in this recipe.

Sweet Potato - This is an unusual ingredient in Puran Poli but is also a delicious addition. Sweet potato brings a natural sweetness and an earthy flavor to this dessert.

Coconut - Use freshly grated, desiccated, or shredded coconut. Unsweetened variety is fine. If using sweetened coconut, then reduce the amount of jaggery accordingly.

Sweetener - Jaggery powder is what I have used here. You can easily find jaggery in an Indian grocery store. It's also available on Amazon.

You can either get the blocks and grate them or get powdered jaggery. Feel free to use whatever kind of sweetener you have/want.

Ground spices like turmeric, nutmeg, and cardamom give this Puran Poli an aromatic flavor.

PuranPoli is incomplete without ghee. Since this is a dairy-free recipe, I have used vegan ghee. You can also use vegan butter. If you are not vegan, use regular ghee.

I have used my food processor to knead the dough. You can also knead it by hand.

• In a food processor, add sieved whole wheat flour, and all-purpose flour. Then add turmeric powder.
• Add oil, and salt.
• Knead to a soft dough by adding water gradually and as needed.
• Transfer the dough to a bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and set it aside for 20 minutes. You can keep it for a couple of hours as well.

• Prick a sweet potato all over with a fork. Transfer to a bowl and microwave it for 5 minutes. There is no need to add water to the bowl.
  • It's cooked if its turned soft and the skin comes off easily. Keep it for a couple of minutes more in the microwave if needed.
• Take it out, peel the skin and mash the sweet potato using a fork or a potato masher. Ensure there are no lumps and it's smooth.
• Add vegan ghee to a pan and add the mashed sweet potatoes. Saute for 2 minutes on medium flame. Then add the coconut and jaggery powder.
• Continue to saute for another 3-4 minutes. Add nutmeg and cardamom powder. Mix it all together.
• Cook till it becomes a homogenous mixture with no moisture and it doesn't stick to the pan anymore. Take it off the flame and let it cool.
  • You can even make this mixture the previous day and store in the fridge.

• Divide the dough into golf-size balls. Flatten one at a time using a rolling pin. Dust flour as needed.
• Place a golf ball sized portion of the sweet potato puran mixture in the center.
• Start gathering the edges, and pinch in the center to seal. Dust flour and roll gently without much pressure into a thick flatbread.
  • Be careful while rolling so that the stuffing doesn't come out.
• Heat a skillet or tawa. Cook the puran poli on both sides evenly till brown spots begin to appear. Keep the flame on medium. Smear vegan ghee on both sides when cooking.

Serving suggestions

Make other puranpolis the same way. Drizzle some vegan ghee on top and serve warm. You can serve it with warm milk or Paal Payasam on the side.

These vegan flatbreads can be enjoyed as a snack for breakfast or with your evening tea. It can also be served as a dessert or as naivedyam during pooja.

Make it for festivals like Pongal, Gudi Padwa, Diwali, Holi, Navratri, Ganesh Chaturthi but do not limit it to just Indian festivals. You can also make them for Thanksgiving or Christmas!

These mini Sweet Potato Puran Poli/Pancakes are simply delicious. One cannot make out that the sweetness is due to the presence of sweet potatoes.

Tips, recommendations, and suggestions

Mix 1/4 cup cooked and mashed chana dal or toor dal in the sweet potato mixture to get the flavor of the traditional puranpoli.

Add some oats powder or almond flour in the end when making the sweet potato stuffing if there is moisture in it.  Add milk/water if the mixture is too dry.

Saffron can be added to the mixture to get a beautiful golden hue and ginger powder can be added to help with digestion. Fennel seeds powder can also be added for more flavor.

Be a little patient when making Puranpolis. It takes a little bit of practice. It's alright if the stuffing comes out when rolling them. Dust some flour over it and try to fix it with your hands.

Smear vegan ghee over cooked Puranpoli else it will feel dry when eating. Be generous with the ghee though!

Leftover stuffing/Puran can also be added to your oatmeal or dosa batter.

To make them gluten-free

Instead of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour, use jowar or sorghum flour and prepare this vegan flatbread the same way as mentioned above.

How to store them

You can store the leftover dough and stuffing in the fridge or in the freezer. Just store them separately in an airtight container.

If you have leftover cooked Puran polis, you can store them in the fridge for 3-4 days or freeze them as well. Reheat these vegan flatbreads and enjoy.