Kitchen
Six Maharashtrian classics made with tur and chana
Varan to puran poli: the dishes that use Vidarbha's two great pulses.
Key takeaways
- Tur dal is the base of varan and amti.
- Chana dal becomes puran, and its cooking water becomes katachi amti.
- Besan, ground from chana dal, makes pithla.
The six dishes
Tur dal
Varan bhaat
Plain tur dal with turmeric, salt and a spoon of ghee, poured over hot rice. The first dish served at festive meals.
Tur dal
Amti
Tur dal tempered with mustard and curry leaves, spiced with goda masala and balanced with kokum or tamarind and jaggery.
Chana dal
Puran poli
Flatbread stuffed with chana dal cooked with jaggery and cardamom. Made for Holi and Gudi Padwa.
Chana dal water
Katachi amti
A thin, spicy curry made from the water drained from chana dal cooked for puran. Served alongside puran poli.
Besan
Pithla
Chickpea flour cooked with onion, green chilli and garlic. Eaten with jowar or bajra bhakri.
Kala chana
Kala chana usal
Soaked or sprouted kala chana simmered in an onion and goda-masala gravy.
Swastik Toor Dal and Chana Dal are unpolished, which suits slow-cooked varan and puran: nothing on the grain but the grain.
Quick answers
Chana dal, cooked soft and mashed with jaggery and cardamom to make the puran filling.
A simple Maharashtrian dal of tur dal cooked with turmeric and salt, finished with ghee and served over rice as varan bhaat.
Buying or packing pulses? Tell us the product, quantity and destination and we will come back with a number.
