Despite so many Boli / Poli stalls being nearby and me gorging on coconut polis quite often, they never satisfy me. To me, My grandma’s would always be the best. The way she makes thin polis out of small balls just by patting them with her fingers always amazes me. Till now no matter how many times I attempt, I have never been able to make them that thin just by patting them. I made these on Tamil New Year Day as part of the festive menu. I used whole wheat flour keeping in mind the health factor.
In a big bowl take whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, turmeric powder, 1 tbsp oil and mix with water till it forms a soft dough. Keep aside. Heat 1/4 cup of water and add jaggery to it. When the jaggery melts, strain it.
Grind grated coconut and cashew together. Add jaggery water to the ground paste along with cardamom powder and stir fry in a pan over medium flame till the mixture becomes dry. Add roasted semolina and remove from the stove. When cool, make small balls.
Take a small ball of the dough, make it into a cup. Place the coconut ball into the cup and close it. Take a small plantain leaf / clean plastic sheet and smear some oil. Place the ball on the leaf and spread it into a circle using the tip of the fingers. I rolled it with a rolling pin like you do a chappati to save time.
Heat a tawa and invert the leaf or sheet with the poli onto the tawa. In a few seconds the leaf / sheet can be removed. When you see spots appearing, flip the poli add oil and ghee mixture around the sides.
Remove when cooked, smear more ghee on top and serve hot.
You can make polis entirely with all purpose flour or with whole wheat flour.
I recommend using little all purpose flour as it make the dough elastic and will help in stretching.
You can also use roasted khus khus / poppy seeds instead of semolina.
Make sure that the coconut is fresh. They taste better and gives a good flavor and aroma.
Labels: Coconut, Indian Sweets, Neiveidhyam, Snacks