Dates Poli

Dates Poli


I am trying to post as many sweet recipes as possible so it comes handy for the readers during the festival season. If you are a regular reader of my page you probably know that I try my best to aoid added sugar to keep even the sweets healthy. My theory is that unless not adding sugar will make the dish unpalatable, do not add it. I always look out for alternate natural sweetners which can provide some nutrition as well. Needless to say, when I came across a recipe for dates poli, I tried it immediately. It has very little added sugar and for someone like me, I would not have needed even that. Ofcourse it depends on how sweet the dates are. For those who are unfamiliar, poli is traditionally a sweet dish with a stuffing in the middle wrapped with dough made from flour. I must say this did go down well across all ages. Here is the recipe...

1 cup dates, seeds removed
2 tablespoon jaggery/brown sugar
2 pinches cardamom powder
1 ½ cups flour (maida)
2 tablespoon oil
Pinch of salt

To make the dough, put the flour in a bowl and add little oil and make it look like breadcrumbs. Then add required water and make a soft dough and add some oil and knead well. Keep aside for atleast 1 hour

Steam or pressure cook the dates and grind to a paste adding very little water if at all needed

Heat a pan and add little oil or ghee and add the dates paste, stir

Add the jaggery and mix well

Cook until it all comes together

Sprinkle the cardamom powder and mix

Divide the dough into small lime size balls and place a ball on a surface that is not sticky. I used my marble chapatti stone, you could use your worktop with cling film laid on it. Flatten the dough with your hand

Take a teaspoon of the dates mixture and place in the centre and wrap up

Add some oil on top and flatten it to desired thickness. I like to flatten until it may just break so I get it as thin as I possibly can

Heat a tava and put the poli and cook less than a minute

Turn the side and cook under a minute. Repeat until both sides are golden brown. You could add ghee or oil but I did not.

Serve!