Paal Poli / Milk Poli

Soft, fried discs of all-purpose flour soaked in a sweet, delicious and fragrant milk spiced with cardamom, saffron, nutmeg, pistachios and almonds, this is an elegant and classic South-Indian dessert!

My mom makes excellent polis (both jaggery based polis and this milk based polis), but specifically, her milk polis are always stellar winners! It's one of my absolute favorite desserts. Just the aroma of the spiced and sweet milk draws me to this dish. The milk base is very similar to that of ras malai, so this is sure to be a hit with everyone.

During a recent dinner with a big group of friends, my mom made these polis for dessert. They disappeared in no time and people couldn't stop gushing! So, this is perfect for entertaining too. Just a little planning a day ahead will make the process even more simpler. It was great to make this dish with my mom and learn some of the finer nuances of making this dessert taste really good!

So, here's the recipe (I halved the measurements for a smaller group).

 

Ingredients (makes 10-12 polis to serve 5-6 people):

1. 1/2 cup all-purpose flour / maida (can substitute with a healthier flour, but will obviously taste slightly different)
2. 7 cups of whole milk or low fat milk
3. 1 1/3 cups of sugar (this measurement ensures the dessert is not too sweet. If you're Indian with a sweet-tooth, you might like to add more sugar)
4. 2 pinches of saffron
5. 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
6. 1/4 cup broken down pistachios (crumbled to small bits, not powdered)
7. 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
8. 1 teaspoon powdered cardamom
9. 3 cups of vegetable oil for deep frying 

Preparation:

1. In a wide bowl, add the all-purpose flour and slowly drizzle water to knead the flour into a stiff, non-sticky dough. The dough shouldn't be as soft as roti dough. Do not let it rest. 
2. Take 1/2 inch small balls of dough and roll out into really thin discs (as thin as you can manage, because they shouldn't be tough to cut into when soaked in milk). The polis should be rolled out to the size of pooris.
3. When the oil is hot to fry (drop a small piece of dough and check if it sizzles and begins to fry), reduce the heat to low-medium and fry the discs of dough, making sure they do not brown or crisp up too much. Cook slowly by turning both sides so that the insides cook. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. The polis are ready!
4. Let the polis cool to room temperature. You can make them up to a day ahead of time and store in an air-tight container (once they are cooled)
5. In a large saucepan, boil milk on medium heat, stirring constantly until the milk begins to boil and reduces a little (the milk reduces easily if it's full fat) - takes about 15 minutes.
6. Now, add sugar and keep stirring on low heat until the sugar dissolves. Continue to heat/boil on medium to medium-high heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring periodically to make sure the bottom doesn't burn.
7. When the milk reduces a little more, add saffron, cardamom, nutmeg, and the nuts and stir. Boil for 10 more minutes and remove from heat. 
8. Arrange the cooled polis on a wide tray or casserole dish. Do not overlay more than 2 polis on top of each other). Use more than 1 tray, if it is not wide enough.
9. Pour the hot masala milk on the polis. Distribute the milk evenly between the polis/trays, ensuring all the polis have enough milk to soak in. Using a spatula, gently press down the polis to absorb the milk. 
10. Let the polis soak for at least 2-3 hours. 

Serve by ladling 1 or 2 polis and some milk in a bowl. Serve at room temperature or chilled for a really flavorful and aromatic dessert!

Note:

1. I am re-iterating - please make sure the polis are not crisp or browned, because you don't want them to crumble in the milk. So fry them in low heat. Also make sure the polis are very thin, so that they absorb the milk easily and can easily be cut into without needing a knife!
2. There is very likely to be extra masala milk after the polis are done. You can either chill it and have it as is, or you can use it as a base for a really yummy fruit salad! Add diced fruits to the milk and chill the dish for an excellent, decadent fruit salad.