Dhal Puri | Trinidad Split Pea Stuffed Flatbread is a Caribbean special made with split pea filling. It is delicious with a mix of simple spices and is a vegan flatbread.
Dhal puri, when I first heard the name, I was imagining some kind of deep fried puri. When I researched further on the recipe, I learned that this is somewhat a savory version of our Puran Boli made with split pea / chana dal.
I referred to many websites and videos to try to make it as close as possible to the authentic Caribbean Dhal Puri. The process of making it was thrilling, that my son who was watching me make it, volunteered to shoot a video of it and he also helped me open my YouTube channel to add this as my first video.
Trinidad and Tobago island's cuisine has a blend of Indian, African, European, Arab, Chinese, Creole and Latin American influence. Many of their recipes will remind you of our Indian dishes and this was one such kind. This Dhal Puri roti is eaten with a meat side dish and is very popular in the island.
We use very basic ingredients in the recipe here and it is quite simple to make, once we get a hang of stuffing and rolling the roti. It took me a couple of trials before I was able to seal it perfectly. Making the filling in the right consistency is the key and I have explained as clearly as possible below in the procedure. Also my YouTube Video here should help to visually see the process.
My Other recipes in the A-Z International Flatbread Series –
A for Aish Baladi
B for Boulanee Katchalu
C for Chickpea Flatbread / Socca
Preparation time - 10 minutes plus 30 minutes resting time
Cooking time - about 60 minutes
Difficulty level - Intermediate
Recipe adapted from - One Green Planet
Ingredients to make Dhal Puri - Makes 8 large flatbread
For the Dough
- All Purpose flour - 2 ½ cups
- Baking powder - 2 tsp
- Salt - 1 tsp
- Oil - 1 TBSP plus more to grease the flatbread
- Water - as needed to make the dough
For the filling
- Chana dal / split pea - 1 cup
- Garlic - 2 cloves
- Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
- Green chili - 3
- Turmeric powder - ½ tsp
- Salt - as needed
Procedure to make Dhal Puri -
To make the Dough -
- Combine the ingredients mentioned for the dough and knead well to make a soft dough.
- The dough should be quite soft but not sticky. Let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes.
To Make the Filling
- Boil at least 6 cups of water. Add the measured chana dal / split pea to the boiling water along with the turmeric powder.
- Let the lentil cook just until tender. Do not let it become mushy. The split pea should still be holding its shape but should easily crumble when crushed between fingers.
- At this stage, drain the peas and let it thoroughly dry. I spread mine on a kitchen cloth to remove all the extra moisture. This step is very important to get a powdery filling. Otherwise, the filling will become too mushy and will be hard to roll.
- Place the dried and cooked peas, garlic, green chilies, cumin and salt in the food processor and make it into a fine powder.
To shape and cook the Dhal Puri
- Divide the dough into 8 equal balls.
- Flatten a ball to a size of a puri, about 4 inches in diameter and preferably thicker in the center and thinner on the outside.
- Stuff a heaping 3 TBSP of filling and bring the edges of the dough to the center and seal. The pictorials below and the video should help better to understand the shaping process. I also have a detailed video on YouTube.
- Dust the stuffed ball with enough flour and roll it into a thin flatbread. Make it as thin as possible without tearing the dough.
- Brush a skillet / pan with oil and place the rolled dough in the hot pan. Cook on both sides until golden brown, brushing with enough oil.
- Keep it warm in between layers of kitchen towel. Serve warm.
Expert Tips and FAQ's
- Make a soft dough. This helps in being able to roll the dough really thin.
- Cook the lentils just until it crushes between your fingers. Son't make them too mushy.
- Let the lentils dry entirely before grinding to get a powdery texture for the filling. If not, it will become a paste and will be a little difficult to stuff and roll.
- Refer to the video to help with the rolling process.
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Dhal Puri | Trinidad Split Pea Stuffed Flatbread - Vegan Flatbread
Ingredients
For the Dough -
- 2 ½ cups All Purpose flour
- 2 tsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Oil plus a little more to grease
- Water - as needed to make the dough
For the filling -
- 1 cup Chana dal / split pea
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 3 Green chili
- ½ tsp Turmeric powder
- Salt - as needed
Instructions
To make the Dough -
- Combine the ingredients mentioned for the dough and knead well to make a soft dough.
- The dough should be quite soft but not sticky. Let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes.
To Make the Filling -
- Boil at least 6 cups of water. Add the measured chana dal / split pea to the boiling water along with the turmeric powder.
- Let the lentil cook just until tender. Do not let it become mushy. The split pea should still be holding its shape but should easily crumble when crushed between fingers.
- At this stage, drain the peas and let it thoroughly dry. I spread mine on a kitchen cloth to remove all the extra moisture. This step is very important to get a powdery filling. Otherwise, the filling will become too mushy and will be hard to roll.
- Place the dried and cooked peas, garlic, green chilies, cumin and salt in the food processor and make it into a fine powder.
To shape and cook the Dhal Puri -
- Divide the dough into 8 equal balls.
- Flatten a ball to a size of a puri, about 4 inches in diameter and preferably thicker in the center and thinner on the outside.
- Stuff a heaping 3 TBSP of filling and bring the edges of the dough to the center and seal. The pictorials below and the video should help better to understand the shaping process. I also have a detailed video on YouTube.
- Dust the stuffed ball with enough flour and roll it into a thin flatbread. Make it as thin as possible without tearing the dough.
- Brush a skillet / pan with oil and place the rolled dough in the hot pan. Cook on both sides until golden brown, brushing with enough oil.
- Keep it warm in between layers of kitchen towel. Serve warm.
Notes
- Make a soft dough. This helps in being able to roll the dough really thin.
- Cook the lentils just until it crushes between your fingers. Son't make them too mushy.
- Let the lentils dry entirely before grinding to get a powdery texture for the filling. If not, it will become a paste and will be a little difficult to stuff and roll.
- Refer to the video to help with the rolling process.
Elissa says
Lovely video and pics from what looks like a real Trinidadian’s hands.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Thank you so much!
Damian says
Amazing especially for a vegan like me
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Thank you! Glad that you liked it.
Thomas Kozlow says
I’m curious, You say 1 teaspoon cumin seed did you mean ground cumin seed or whole cumin seed? A friend told me she makes these and she is from Trinidad. So I looked up the recipe and found yours. I will be making these soon!
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Hi Thomas, 1 tsp of whole cumin seeds. We will grind this with the rest of the ingredients. Thanks for visiting. This is absolutely one of my favorite and hope you like it too.
Renu says
Same pinch, loved your version. You have made the chana dal cooked perfectly and were able to grind it to the perfect texture. Looks delicious.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Thanks Renu! That was my biggest fear...It came out really well.
preeti garg says
This dhalpuri is just alike pooran poli savory version.. so flavorful and healthy meal.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Yes Preeti! Very similar and so flavorful.
Srivalli Jetti says
Excellent one Sandhya, I loved it when I had made. Your parathas have turned out great. Its wonderful when kids volunteer to help us, they really do such an awesome job right!
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Absolutely valli. Hopefully this also teaches the boys to cook. They need this lifelong skill.
Mayuri Patel says
Dhalpuri looks really good Sandhya. I can't roll out big parathas or flatbreads. Like the tip of drying the dal before grinding it to get a powdery filling.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Yes Mayuri. The drying is what makes the difference.
code2cook says
This dhal puri looking great, we too make a chana dal paratha like this. But adds extra spices. Surely a yummy recipe. Lovely clicks with this angle.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Yes Bhawana! I am going to try it with Indian spices next time.
Padmajha PJ says
This seems to be the dish of the day! And congrats on the youtube channel. Will go and take a look for sure. Your pics looks super inviting and love that blue bowl and its contents in background!
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Thanks PJ!
Ritu Tangri says
This is my father's favourite. I either shallow fry on tawa or deep fry at some special occasion. Yours have come out so well.
Congrats for your YouTube channel Sandhya!
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
So good to hear that Ritu! It was indeed delicious and loved the flavor. Thanks!
harini says
Looks fantastic, Sandhya. As sowmya said, loving all the variations of savory puran poli. I am wondering whether dhal puri or Dhapate won the popular vote so far this series 🙂
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Ha ha ha....We got so many variations of them today! Thanks a lot Harini!
Vaishali Sabnani says
Awesome ! Truly an awesome post . I like the way you have stuffed and then rolled so thin . I must say that video is fantastic , it gives you the perfect way to make and what a fabulous job by the little boy . Kudos and a big hug to him . A hug to the proud mama as well :))
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Thanks a lot Vaishali! You are always so generous 🙂
Gayathri Kumar says
Congrats on the channel Sandhya. Your son has done a wonderful job in capturing. A small tip from me, try embedding the video in the post itself. Dal puri has turned out perfect.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Gaythri, thanks a lot! I am clueless as how to do it. I will message you offline to get more tips.
Priya Suresh says
Looks like we have same wavelength Sandhya, after Aish Baladi now its dal puri..You have rolled them super prefectly yaar, seriously am in love with your prefects flatbreads. Beautiful plating.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Priya, thanks a lot. Truly you are my inspiration and looks like there will be many more similar recipes coming 🙂
Sowmya says
I am loving this Savory version of Puran poli....looks so delicious and I am way too much tempted now! And such awesome picture!!
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Thanks a lot Sowmya!