Dholpuri is by far my favorite street food from back home! They are mauritian flatbreads and are sold at every street corner. Some of the ‘Marchands dholpuris’ are more popular than others. Among the best are Dewa’s, the one by Cinema Ritz in Curepipe and another one in Port Louis. I remember Mom used to ask me to go and buy dholpuris from the ‘marchand’ in front of Cinema Ritz and I would be the only girl in a long line of guys! Whenever I went to Rose Hill, I would buy dholpuris from Dewa’s. They were a real treat! Mom loved them. Afterall, they are the best on the island and everyone knows about their dholpuris! Mauritians eat their dholpuris for lunch, dinner or as a snack and they are very filling even though the condiments inside are very sparse. I can only eat two pairs at the most! Typical condiments for the dholpuris are: rougaille pomme d’amour (tomato chutney), carri gros pois (curry butter beans) and achards (pickled vegetables) and of course achards piments (pickled chills).
Here’s the recipe!
DHOLPURIS
For the filling: 500g chana dhal, tsps ground cummin
For the dough: 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, 1 tsp of salt, pinch of food coloring or turmeric, about 1 cup of warm water
How to:
Boil the chana dhal in a big pot of water with 1 tsp of salt and pinch of food coloring or turmeric. They should be firm but when pressed between two fingers, should be crushed easily.
Blend in a food processor with 1 tsp of ground cumin.
Shape into small balls.
For the dough, mix all ingredients and warm water and knead until soft and smooth.
Divide into small equal portions and shape into balls.
Make an indentation in the balls (shaped as a cup), place the chana dhal ball inside, pinch the edges and shape into a ball.
Finish making all the dholpuri balls, place in a large plate, sprinkle with flour.
Start rolling each ball very thinly and when cooking, use a pastry brush to brush oil on each side. Cook for a few seconds on each side.
Enjoy!
