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Mauritian · Indian

Dholl puri

Vegetarian

Soft, thin flatbreads filled with a fine layer of spiced ground split peas, cooked on a griddle and wrapped around bean curry, rougaille and chutney. Mauritius's favourite street food.

Dholl puri is a Mauritian bread from Mauritius, ready in about 2 hours and made with chana dal (split bengal gram) and all-purpose flour. It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep
40 min
Cook
50 min
Rest
30 min
Total
2 h
Serves
4
Level
Intermediate
Calories
599

Ingredients

4 servings (8 flatbreads)

For the filling

For the dough

Method

  1. Step 1

    Rinse the split peas, cover with plenty of water, add the turmeric (opens in a new tab) and boil until tender but still holding their shape. Drain very well and spread out to steam dry.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile mix the flour, salt and oil, then add the water gradually and knead to a soft dough. Cover and rest.

    • 10 min
    Hands kneading dough on a floured surface
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels
  3. Step 3

    Grind the cooled, dry peas with the cumin (opens in a new tab) and salt to a fine, dry powder in a food processor (opens in a new tab).

    The filling must be dry and powdery or the breads will tear.

    Spices being ground in a mortar and pestle
    How it looks · Photo: https://kaboompics.com/ on Pexels
  4. Step 4

    Divide the dough into 8 balls. Flatten each into a cup, fill with 2 tablespoons of the pea powder, pinch closed and roll out gently into a thin 22 cm round.

    Dough being rolled out with a rolling pin
    How it looks · Photo: Katerina Holmes on Pexels
  5. Step 5

    Cook each one on a hot dry griddle for about 1 minute per side, brushing lightly with oil, until speckled and soft. Stack in a cloth to keep them supple.

    A flatbread cooking on a hot griddle
    How it looks · Photo: Muhammad Khawar Nazir on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Mauritius · Well documentedDeveloped from the North Indian stuffed dal puri brought by indentured labourers; the Mauritian version is a distinct national street food.More food from Mauritius
Dish
Breakfast · Lunch · Snack · Breads & flatbreads · Street food · Wraps & rolls
Cooking method
Boiled, Pan-fried
Taste
savoury, earthy, mild
Diet
Vegan · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Street food · Budget-friendly · Portable / lunchbox
Techniques
Pan-frying · Boiling · Kneading

Allergens

  • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
  • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

599 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 210 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 12%
  • Carbohydrate 67%
  • Fat 21%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy599 kcal285 kcal
Protein18.1 g8.6 g
Carbohydrate100.4 g47.8 g
Net carbohydrate93 g44.3 g
Sugars4.3 g2 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre7.4 g3.5 g
Fat13.6 g6.5 g
Saturated fat1.1 g0.5 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium596 mg284 mg
Salt equivalent1.5 g0.7 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
394 mg
Calcium
48 mg
Iron
6.8 mg
Magnesium
56 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
1 µg
Vitamin C
2 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
500 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Chana dal (split bengal gram): Whole raw chickpeas / bengal gram (FDC 173756) used as a stand-in for split, skinned desi chickpeas; the composition is very close.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Keep the cooked breads wrapped in a tea towel; the steam keeps them soft and foldable.

Common mistakes

  • A wet filling makes the dough tear when rolled.

Serve with

  • Wrap around butter bean curry, rougaille and a coriander or tomato chutney.

Storage

  • Keep wrapped for a day, or freeze between sheets of baking paper for a month.

Reheating

  • Warm on a dry pan for 20 seconds per side.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

Structure

For the dough

Used in steps 2, 3

Timeline and readiness cues

  1. Mix and knead · about 40 min

    Knead until smooth and soft; it should feel like an earlobe.

  2. Rest · about 30 min

    Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.

  3. Bake · about 15 min

    Puffed with golden-brown spots on both sides.

  4. Start to finish: about 1 h 25 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

The dough

The dough in baker's percentages. Flour = 100%.
IngredientRoleWeightBaker’s %
All-purpose flourFlour400 g100%
WaterWater240 g60%
Neutral vegetable oilFat41 g10.2%
SaltSalt3 g0.8%
Total flour
400 g
Hydration
60%
With milk, eggs…
60%
Wholegrain
0%

Hydration = water ÷ flour × 100. Milk is about 87% water and eggs about 75%, so they’re shown separately as “with milk, eggs…”.

  • Medium dough (55–65%) — soft and easy to knead; sandwich loaves and rolls.
  • Salt 0.8% — on the low side (1.8–2.2% is typical for bread).
  • Fat 10.2% — a rich, tender dough.

If something goes wrong

  • Pale crust

    Likely causes

    • Oven too cool
    • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
    • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

    What to do

    • Check the oven with a thermometer
    • Brush with egg wash or milk
    • Shorten the fermentation
  • Burnt bottom

    Likely causes

    • Tray too close to the heat
    • Dark tray absorbs more heat
    • Too much sugar in the dough

    What to do

    • Bake on the middle shelf
    • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
    • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
  • Tough or chewy flatbread

    Likely causes

    • Dough too stiff
    • Not rested
    • Cooked too slowly on too cool a pan

    What to do

    • Add water until the dough is soft and slightly tacky
    • Rest 20–30 minutes covered so the gluten relaxes
    • Cook on a very hot tawa or pan — quickly

Reviews & corrections

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