My husband is a big carrot halwa fan. My MIL makes the most delicious carrot halwa with fresh khoya and gajar (red winter carrots). I use condensed milk in my recipe and it makes it creamy and yummy. My version of gajar halwa is less decadent but equally delicious, if I can say so myself. Poli aka bobbatlu/ obbatlu are sweet flatbread usually made with a stuffing. They are traditionally made with lentil stuffing and are called puran poli. I had some carrot halwa leftover once and made these delicious stuffed flatbreads with it. These are very colorful and very festive - perfect for any festival.
Ingredients
This recipe has 2 components - dough and filling. Here is what you need for the dough: Dough - I used a combination of all purpose flour and atta (whole-wheat flour). Typically they are made with 100% all purpose flour. Milk - I use milk instead of water to make the dough. That makes it extra soft and delicious. Saffron - adds a nice flavor and beautiful orange color to the poli. I recommend buying Indian Kashmiri saffron because I find it much flavorful. Little goes a long way for this. Ghee - is a quintessential ingredient in all Indian desserts. It makes these sweet flatbreads buttery and decadent. Salt Filling - You need 1~2 cups of carrot halwa. You can use leftover carrot halwa or make it fresh for this recipe. I included the recipe to make enough filling for 8 poli. You can get very creative with the filling. I have added a few ideas that you can choose from below.
Instructions
You need the carrot filling to be at room temperature. So start by making the halwa (recipe in the card below). Or even better make it a day ahead, refrigerate and leave it out on the counter for about 1 hour. Make the dough: In a small bowl, combine saffron strands and warm milk. Set aside for couple of minutes. In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the flours, salt and ghee. Rub the ghee into the flour using your fingers until a sand-like mixture forms. Add the saffron-milk and more milk as needed to form a smooth-pliable dough. Knead for a few minutes to get a nice glossy dough that doesn’t stick to the fingers. Cover and set aside for at least 30 minutes. Make Carrot Poli: Divide the dough 8 equal pieces. Roll the dough a thick 3" disc and place about 1~2 tablespoons of the filling in the center. Pull the dough over the filling to encase it completely. Roll into a ball and flatten into a disc in the palm. Then place it on a lightly greased aluminum foil or a wooden chopping board. Roll it out into a 5~6" round circle. Make sure that the polis are uniform in thickness. Heat a griddle/ tawa on medium heat, cook the polis until light brown spots form on both sides, this takes about 2 minutes per side. Keep the polis warm while repeating the process for the rest of the dough & filling. Serve warm with extra ghee!! Leftovers can be wrapped tightly in foil and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Tips
Make sure that the poli are not rolled out too thin. They won’t be soft when rolled too thin. Keep the thickness of the flatbread to around ¼".You can make these entirely with atta (chapathi flour) or all-purpose flour. I use a combination of both these flours.Use leftover carrot halwa or make it fresh for this recipe. But make sure you give yourself enough time to completely cool the carrot filling. Stick in the fridge if you have to cool it down fast.Leftovers can be wrapped tightly in foil and refrigerated for up to 3 days. When ready to eat, microwave until warm and eat with a generous smear of ghee.
Poli Filling Ideas
Here are a few filling ideas that you can use to make your own version of stuffed poli:
dates and roasted sesame seeds paneer and coconut - lightly cooked in ghee and mixed with sugar boiled & mashed sweet potato mixed with grated jaggery and ground cardamomrava kesari
Few more Carrot based desserts to try
No Bake Carrot Halwa CheesecakeCarrot KheerCarrot-sooji HalwaAfghani Carrot HalwaSourdough Carrot Cake
