GUYANESE DHAL PURI
I’ve owed you guys this recipe for a little while now. I’m feeling very guilty, so in the middle of my vacation I got out my laptop and decided to finally post it. Please forgive me. I originally posted the picture of dhal puri in my Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24 post, but never the recipe. So here it is! Its an Indian flatbread that has a flavorful split pea filling…no curry needed with this.
Get the Recipe Dhal Puri
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 4 oz shortening
- 1 to 1 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup oil
- Filling
- 1 cups yellow split peas
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 5 sprigs of thyme, leave removed from stem and chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 hot pepper, optional I used scotch bonnet
Instructions
- To make the dough: Place flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Combine shortening or ghee with the flour( you can use a food processor, hand or knife).
- Add water to mixture. Knead dough for 5 mins. Cover and allow to sit for half hour.
- To cook the peas: Boil peas in a pot of water for 15 mins. Drain. Add garlic, thyme, pepper, geera(cumin), garam masala and salt.
- Place in a food processor and chop until smooth (there should be no grains). Filling should be lose and not a paste. Allow split peas filling to cool completely before filling the dough.
- Place dough on a well floured surface and cut into 6 pieces. Flatten a ball of dough and place 2 heaping spoonfuls of filling in center. Pinch edges close. Repeat with all the pieces of dough.
- Roll out the dough into even rounds about 9 inches ensuring that the filling spreads evenly.
- Place on an oiled griddle or tawa over medium heat. Allow to cook for about 30 seconds then flip.
- Brush the top with oil then flip again.
- Cook on that side for for about 30 seconds until it puffs up and then remove from heat. Place wax paper between each dhal puri to prevent from sticking together.
Thanks for posting this! Quick question: my mother used to soak her split peas overnight instead of boiling them. Is there a difference?
Sorry I took so long to respond to you, but I had to turn to my mom to help me answer this question because I’m not familiar with this method of making dhal puri. According to my mom, when u soak the peas instead of boiling it it doesn’t distribute as well, and it’s also more of a paste when ground. I will have to try that method.
Thanks for sharing this will give it a try.
Thank you for your wonderful recipes. I love your site and the pictures always make my mouth water! I do have one favor to ask – can you please post your recipe for Guyanese beef patties? The one’s in your post look delicious! Thanks in advance : – )
I will post the beef patty recipes within the next week.
It is a little different from the one I tried. I will do it and if I do a roti tutorial again I can backlink to your blog in how to do this skin since I have no skin recipe to my name yet. I use to make a good buss up shut when I was 14 but I never measured anything.I will make a batch of these next weekend
Your dhal puri looks awesome. My question is what makes your puri softer, is it butter or ghee? I have made mine with butter, but the next day they are not as soft?
Sorry it took me so long to reply…I’ve never made dhal puri using butter so I have no idea which would be softer.
Thank you so much for all the fantastic Guyanese recipes. I’ve tried several of them, patties, roti, pinetarts, and a few more. The only ones that didn’t turn out so good were the puri and cheese roll. The taste and the smell of the puri was great but it didn’t look like yours. When I was finished with the dough, it was very sticky. I had assumed that the dough will be similar to the roti dough but it wasn’t. It wasn’t flaky and the peas wasn’t falling out when you tear it. The actual dough was brown in color as though I used whole wheat flour but I didn’t. I don’t know what I did wrong but I’ll try it again. Also, there is one thing missing from the ingredients for the dough and that is the amount of salt to use.
The cheese roll was flaky but I guess I didn’t seal it properly so all the cheese filling ended up in the pan. Do I need to fold it over to seal it?
I have always been a pretty good cook and my family & friends look forward to whatever I cook on weekends. Do you have any recommendations for the puri and the cheese roll. Thanks a lot.
PS: I add peas and diced hash brown potatoes to my patties. They are delicious. I also add 1 inch cinnamon sticks (2-3) to the pineapple filling for the pine tarts.
Hi, I apologize for the mistakes in the recipe. I reviewed the recipe and I did indeed leave out the salt. I also double checked my dhal puri recipe and I mistakingly put the wrong measurements…oops! I changed the amount of water from 1 1/2 cup to 1 to 1 1/4 cup. If you are familiar with making roti, this dough should be a little bit stiffer than the roti dough. As for the Cheese rolls you do need to fold over the dough and make sure to seal the edges well by pressing it together with a fork. Also my mom usually adds peas in her beef patties as well, but I have yet to try it with the potatoes, but it does sound yummy! Thanks for the feedback on the recipes.
what’s the secret for making soft dhal puri? SOme people add a bit of yeast to the dough – could that work?
Hello,
What is the secret to making dhal puri roti without the peas sticking to the dough. Half the time I am sucessfull and half the time it sticks and doesnt break apart when eating.
Please any seggestions?
Shikira I’m sorry but that’s a mystery to me also!
Thanks for this awesome recipe. I have tried a few but this is absolutely the best. Thanks again.
You’re welcome 🙂
i can’t make that dhal puri but i will keep on trying
hi i live in uk and i would like to try and make dhal puri . i have all ingredients except shortening can you tell me what that is so i can buy it from supermarket thanks . i would like mine to look like yours .
You can use lard instead.
Dhalpuri looks great … and I don’t think Guyanese makes Dhalpuri like this.. this is more Tininidadian… . Theirs is much smaller and they call it puri
Hi Marco, my puri is a recipe from my mom who was born and bred in Guyana as am I. Growing up in Guyana I remember our Dhal Puri ,which we refer to as puri for short, being just like what my mom makes. I am not familiar with any other version of Guyanese Dhal Puri but if you have a recipe please share, I am always willing to try something new.
THANK YOU!!! I am very Impressed that you were able us measurements. most guyaneese recipie is a little bit of this and a little bit of that no actual measurements.:))
thank tou for recipe .
if the dhal get like a paste kinda sticky what should i do. I used the food processor but not grainy .
Sam you peas is probably too soft. Don’t boil until completely soft, it still needs to be a bit grainy so it doesn’t form a paste.
if some one making this dish they need to add yeast jus the rite amount to the dough as to make it a bit soft
Marco might be referring to the little round puri which is fried in oil or ghee. Its usually made for weddings or Hindu Pooja, its also eaten with Halwa when someone has a baby.
Jehan I wanted to share this with you
Puri
Description
Flat, fried roti. Served at Puja’s, this flat bread is delicious with 7 curry, or sweets like parsad, pera, lapsee, sweet rice, and ghurama(sweet mango jam curry)
Ingredients
At a glance
Rotis
Makes
30-50 puri4 cups all purpose flour + more for rolling
1/4 cup of Ghee
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup of lukewarm water (note that more or less water may be needed.)
Ghee and oil for frying
Methods/steps
In a bowl, combine the flour and sugar.
Mix in the ghee, and rub well so it resembles coarse crumbs.
Add the water in slowly, and mix well until you get a smooth, NOT sticky, soft dough. (as mentioned, more or less water may be needed)
Knead for 1-2 minutes(if dough is sticky, add a little more flour, if its too dry, add more water)
Smear some ghee over the top of the dough, and leave it to soak for 30 minutes.
Break the dough into 35-40 small, equal sized balls. About golf ball sized.
In a large karahi, or frying pan, fill it with 2 inches of ghee, and 1 cup of oil. heat on medium heat.
Dust each loyah ball in flour, and roll to a thin circle. (Note that the puri needs to be thinner than a roti, but not too thin, or you will end up with hard crackers.)
Stack 2 puri on top of eachother.(this ensures the puri will not burn when its cooking)
When the ghee/oil mixture is hot, fry 1 puri stack at a time. They will fry very quickly, so when they begin to puff up and rise in the ghee, quickly flip over.
Drain the puri on a paper towel, and stack the cooked puri’s on top each other.
When finished frying, wipe the ghee from the puri’s so they will not be too greasy.
Serve hot with sweets, or vegetable curry
Additional Tips
When mixing the dough, if it is mixed too soft and sticky, use additional flour to knead it into a smooth soft dough. If it is too dry, add more water. If making puri for religious use, be sure to fry with only ghee
Wow, this sounds tasty! Does it have a bit of a sweetness to it?? Is it sometimes eaten as a dessert?
I can’t wait to try this recipe i am so excited
You got a definitely helpful blog I’ve been right here reading for about an hour. I’m a newbie and your accomplishment is quite a lot an inspiration for me.
wow!! i made roti over the weekend and i can only tell you remarkable thank you turned out just like you say 🙂 awasome ( you) look forward to more of you and food ideas
Thank you so much for this recepi , it was the best dahlpuri I ever made.
newbie, was just reading these receipe and love them. Usually people does not like to share their receipe. Just want to say thanks.
Wanted to add to the puri receipe, it is better to melt the sugar in the water first and don’t press dry the puri or it will become hard and stiff. Best place to store is in cardboard box with parchment paper and let drain overnight. stack 4-5 then parchment paper in between, sometimes paper towel dry out the puri. This taste better when stale or a day old. made it quite a few times, but never measure anything. Thanks Yasmin.
Thanks for the tips Yasmin, my mom always stores her puri between parchment paper in between. I have to say that I love hot puri just off of the tawa!
Hi Jehan. I used your recipe for the Dhal Puri Roti and it came out perfect! This was my first time making roti. I made mine a little smaller in size since I don’t have a tawa….I just used a nonstick griddle pan. Thanks so much for the awesome recipe!!!
Hi, I just ran across your recipe today. I made the dahl Puri and it was fabulous. I don’t have a tawa but I do have an Iron frying pan. I turned it upside down and the dahl puri came out delicious. It was soft, the filling was powdery and very flavorful. I have experimented with Dahl Puri before but your instructions were very good. I have never used shortening in it before and I think that was the trick to the softness and it rolled out quite thinly without breaking, which was a problem for me in the past. Thanks. My next purchase will be a tawa.
Hi Jehan,
Thanks for the awesome recipes that you keep supplying. They really remind me of home. Do you have a recipe for channa and mango curry (curry done with both channa and curry in it)? If so, can you please share?
Hi Marcelle, recipes will be coming soon for those.
Hi J.P.
This snippet from Yasmin’s comment…..
<>
Hah! finally “ghurama”, been trying for ages to find someone who knows about this great dish,
let alone cook it!
Can U give us some info/recipe….. are there different versions…. ‘am a lousy cook but would
surely give it a go!
Thanx,
KS.
Awesome recipe!!! Very soft and delicious 🙂 thank you form a Trini
Excellent post. I was checking continuously this blog and I’m inspired!
Very useful information specifically the last part 🙂 I
care for such information much. I was seeking this certain info for
a very lengthy time. Thanks and best of luck.
Pingback: Caribbean roti | thepinkpigeonpost
Thanks for the recipe for the plait bread . Im trying it this afternoon.can you post the recipe for Guyanese Spanish rice.
Your dhal puri recipe is really great. Thanks for posting it. I made some today and felt like a champ for making it on my own. 🙂
Tried your dhalpuri recipe today. what can i say JEHAN IS A BOSS, IVE BEEN TRYING THIS YEARS FIRST TIME PERFECT.
first timers tip when you combine dry ingredients for dough, knead only 20 times,cover with damp cloth and leave in warm place to rest for 1/2 an hour. that’s what i did and my dhalpuris came out great, i hope it works for the rest of you.
Hello, Jehan!
I would like to know if I could use the same type of flour combination that you use for making Paratha, for Dhal Puri as well?
So, for the Paratha you use 2 cups of all purpose flour and 1 cup of self-rising flour. Could I use this flour combination as opposed to using just 3 cups of all purpose flour and adding 1-1 and 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder? If so, how much more baking powder would I need to add in addition to what the self-rising flour already has?
Natalie you absolutely can. I believe its 1 1/2 tsp baking powder.
This is such a simple to follow recipe. Thank you for sharing. I will give it a try but first I have to find a tawa in Queens or maybe just utilize my round griddle iron pot? Maybe we should co-sponsor or recipe exchange or just become familar with each other’s social media. You can find me “camillecares” or “camillecares kitchen” or “camcares” on all social networks.
Camille thank you. You can find a tawa in Richmond Hill in Queens. I believe Spice World on Liberty and 124th street carries it. I will check out your social media pages.
Jehan, I love your website and have had a few successes so far. But I just tried making this and my puri was stiff and brittle, not soft.
Do you know where I could’ve gone wrong?
Mo, are you over cooking the puri? Did you allow the dough to sit long enough? These are all reasons that could produce a stiff and brittle dough.
I followed your exact measurements and instructions. And at each step I was fine until they came out :-(.
Jehan, sorry, I made the puri and it did not come out like yours. I know, it is my fault but can I ask for a little more clarification. Did you add salt to the dough and did you add salt to the filling. Also I boiled 2 cups of peas and it was a lot for 8 puri. What am I missing, never had trouble with your recipes before and I have used it several times.
Thanks for the great work you are doing and happy holidays.
Hi Beverly, yes as stated in the recipe, salt is added to both the dough and filling. Yes the measurements are correct. If you prefer less peas in your puri then by all means add less. I will do a video soon on how to make Dhal Puri and hopefully that should help!
Happy New Year JehanP.. Thanks for the feedback. I look forward to seeing the video.
Is there anyway to save the dhal mixture of it’s pasty?
You can make a smaller batch as peas that’s the right texture and add it. You can also leave the mixture to dry out.