| 1. | To make dough: Mix flour, salt and turmeric powder. Add water and mix to make a stiff dough. Add oil, 2 tablespoons at a time, kneading after each addition, till dough is very soft, elastic and no longer sticky. Keep covered 1 hour. |
| 2. | To make filling: Put gram and water in a Hawkins pressure cooker. Close cooker. Bring to full pressure (first whistle) on high heat. Reduce heat and cook 10 minutes. Remove cooker from heat. Allow to cool naturally. |
| 3. | Open cooker. Mash dal with back of a ladle. |
| 4. | Add jaggery and cardamom. Cook on medium heat till mixture thickens and leaves the sides of cooker, stirring occasionally (about 15 minutes). Allow to cool. |
| 5. | With oiled hands, make 18 balls about 3 cm in diameter. Keep covered. |
| 6. | To make poli : Knead dough briefly. With oiled hands, make 18 balls about 3 cm in diameter. Keep covered. |
| 7. | Rub hands with a little oil. Put a ball of dough on palm of one hand. With fingers of other hand, pat dough outwards to form a round 6 cm in diameter. Put a ball of filling in centre of round. Close round over filling by gently gathering dough from sides to top, pinching to form a tiny peak. Press peak to one side and pat dough to seal any openings. Keep assembled ball on floured surface. Assemble and keep remaining balls in the same way. |
| 8. | On a floured board, flatten assembled ball slightly. Roll gently into a flat round 14 cm in diameter.(To prevent sticking when rolling out rounds of dough: slightly flatten balls and press the balls lightly in flour on both sides. Shake off excess flour and roll out). Roll out remaining balls in the same way. Keep covered. |
| 9. | Heat tava on medium heat about 3 minutes. Put round on tava. Cook about 1 minute (underside should have very few faint brown specks). Turn over. Cook second side similarly about 1 minute. Cook remaining rounds in the same way. Serve hot or at room temperature. Optional garnish: melted ghee or butter. |