Naral Poli (Sweet Coconut Flat Bread)

Just one cup or around 80 grams of fresh, shredded coconut meat contains almost 300 calories and 27 grams of fat, most of which is saturated fat. Although coconut contains beneficial minerals like manganese that supports enzyme function and fat metabolism, a good amount of selenium, and copper that assists bone formation and supposedly heart health, it should be consumed in limited quantities because of the high amount of fat which is definitely not good for the heart. Most of the saturated fat in coconut is in the form of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which are absorbed intact in our small intestine and used by our body to produce energy. On the other hand, coconut is also rich in insoluble fibre, which doesn’t get digested but helps to move food through our digestive system and aids bowel health. The high fibre also is the reason that we cannot eat too much coconut, which of course is good!

Recipe: Darshana Muzumdar

Makes 8 polis (flat breads) of 7-inch diameter

Ingredients

½ medium size coconut, grated (1 cup)
¾ cup jaggery, grated or chopped into small pieces
6 cardamoms
1 cup maida (refined flour) + more for dusting and rolling
½ tsp turmeric powder
3 tbsp groundnut oil
¼ cup water

Method

Grind the coconut without adding any water till it is fine. This is optional.
Add the jaggery to the coconut in a shallow thick bottom steel pan on medium to low heat. The jaggery will melt and the mixture will become very moist. Heat it till all moisture is absorbed by the coconut. This should be about 8 tablespoons of mixture.
Add the cardamom powder to the sweet coconut mixture when it is a little cooler. Cardamom loses its fragrance if heated.
Mix 1 cup refined flour, turmeric powder, 2 tablespoons of the groundnut oil and the water and knead it into a soft dough. Add a teaspoonful of water more at a time if needed.
Cut the dough in half, then half again and half again to get 8 portions. Cover this with a damp cloth to prevent it from drying.
Rub a little oil to your palm, take a portion of the dough and flatten it on the oiled palm. Take this into your fingers and press the edges to make it into a kind of cup of even thickness.

Place 1 tablespoon of the sweet coconut mixture in the centre of the cup and cover it up from all sides evenly with the dough to make a ball.
Flatten the ball slightly and roll it in the maida to cover it on all sides.
Dust the rolling board with a little maida and roll out the flattened ball to around 7 or 8 inches in diameter.
Roast this poli on both sides on medium heat till brown spots appear on both sides.
Keep each poli aside on a plate to cool. It will become slightly crispy when cool.
Transfer the cooled poli into a steel box if you don’t want to serve it immediately.
You can serve this as a sweet dish or as a sweet snack.
This already contains enough fat from the coconut, so it doesn’t need anything else. But you may dribble some coconut oil just before serving if you wish.

For the Whole-Food Plant-Based (WFPB) version: