Til Poli (Gulachi Poli)

Til Poli or Gulachi Poli is a sweet flatbread made using sesame seeds, jaggery and whole wheat flour, with a hint of cardamom and nutmeg and is prepared during Makar Sankranti in every Maharashtrian home. It is very easy to make and very delicious and served with ghee.

I have a confession to make, I love til poli (Gulachi Poli) more than I love tilgul. The hot, ghee ladden poli right from the tava to the plate is my idea of a perfect Makar Sankrati. I have often burnt my tongue due to the melted jaggery in an attempt to devour the poli as fast as I could.

Makar Sankrant and the colour Black:

My earliest memories of Makar Sankrant was wearing black clothes, my mother having her haldi kunku and her quest to find the most unique haldi kunku vaan. Vaan is a gift which people get after visiting each others homes on this day. Even though the colour black is usually considered an inauspicious colour and is avoided on any auspicious day, it is the colour of choice for Makar Sankranti. The scientific reason for this is- Makar Sankrant is the day when the sun starts its northern movement, hence this day marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring. Being the last day of winter, this day turns out to be the coolest day of the entire season. Since black is a colour that absorbs heat, people wear it to keep warm. I love how our traditions have a scientific explanations.

Every household has a different method to make this recipe. This recipe has been handed over by my grandmother. The filling is on a drier side. The jaggery melts once on the tawa and spreads evenly. But if you want it on the wetter side then please add ghee to the filling. Don’t forget to read the tips below.

More Makar Sankrat Recipes:

Do try Tilwadi which is a sweet, healthy recipe which is made on the occasion of Makar Sankrant. It is made by using handful ingredients such as sesame seeds, jaggery, ghee and dry coconut.

Til Poli (Gulachi Poli)

Recipe by Samrudhi MaheshCourse: Dessert, SnacksCuisine: Indian, MaharashtrianDifficulty: Medium

Servings

12- 14

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Total time

50

minutes

Til Poli is a traditional recipe that is typically prepared during Makar Sankranti.

Ingredients

• FOR THE DOUGH

• 3 cups whole wheat flour

• 3 tablespoon hot Oil

• Salt – to taste

• Water- as required to knead the

• 1/2 Tablespoon Oil

• FOR THE FILLING/ SAARAN

• ½ cup Sesame seeds

• 1/2 cup peanuts

• ½ cup Grated dry Coconut

• 2 tablespoon Gram flour

• 3/4 – 1 cup Jaggery (read notes)
  

• 1 teaspoon Cardamom powder

• 1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg Powder

• Pinch of Salt

• Dry Flour- for dusting and rolling the poli

• Ghee- for serving

Directions

• MAKING THE DOUGH
• In a bowl add whole wheat flour and salt.
• In a small pan, add oil and let it heat up. Add the hot oil to the flour mixture and mix well.
• Add water to make a soft dough. cover the dough and keep aside for an hour.
• MAKING THE FILLING:
• In a pan, on a low- medium flame add sesame seeds and dry roast the sesame seeds until the seeds are evenly roasted and set aside. In the same pan add peanuts and roast it and set it aside. In the same pan, add the grated coconut and dry roast it and set it aside. Be careful coconut may darken quickly. Add gram flour (besan) roast for 2-3 minutes on medium heat.
• Once cooled add the sesame seeds into a grinder and grind it into a coarse powder and set it aside. Add peanuts and grind it into a coarse powder.
• In the bowl, add the sesame seeds powder, peanut powder, grated jaggery, pinch of salt, coconut, besan (gram flour) cardamom powder and Nutmeg powder mix everything well to make the filling.
• MAKING THE TIL POLI
• Heat a griddle/ tawa.
• Divide the dough into small balls.
• Slightly roll the dough ball to make a small disk.
• Add around 1 tablespoon of filling in the centre of the disc and bring the ends together.
• Dust and roll the poli gently. Read notes for more information
• Transfer the poli on the hot tawa. Cook the poli from both the sides until brown spots appear
• Apply ghee on both the sides and cook till slightly browned.
• Keep applying slight pressure on the poli with the back of a spoon while cooking.
• Make all the poli’s in the same manner.
• Store in an airtight container for up to 6 days.

Notes

• The filling is on the drier side, but once the poli is cooked it doesn’t feel dry. The jaggery melts and forms a even layer of the filling. But if you prefer slightly wet filling, so that you can roll the poli easily then please add around 3 tablespoons of ghee to the filling.
• I prefer slightly less sweet so I have added around 3/4 cup grated jaggery. You can taste the filling once it is prepared and if you feel it is less sweet you can add more jaggery as per as your preferences
• While rolling the polis apply very little pressure so the filling doesn’t ooze out.
• You can use half whole wheat and half all purpose flour if you prefer. Adding all purpose flour (maida) makes it easier to roll the poli but it also tends to make the poli a bit chewy.
• You can also knead the dough with milk if you prefer.
• While serving, apply very little ghee and heat for 20 seconds in a microwave or on a griddle.

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