Bolani

This is one of my favourite dishes, served during Eid, this recipe for Bolani is easy to make and will be a hit with your friends and family.

Method

1. To a large shallow bowl, add the water, oil, salt, and yeast. Stir, and then add the flour. Use a spoon to mix this together as best as possible, until it becomes difficult to mix.
2. Use your hands to knead the dough for 3 minutes, or until soft and elastic. Add a little more flour as needed if the dough feels too sticky to work with.
3. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature while you prepare the filling.
4. Peel the potatoes and chop them into 1 cm cubes. Cook the potatoes in a large pot of boiling water for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are fully cooked through. Then drain
5. To a large bowl, add the drained potatoes, chopped green onion, cilantro, green chili, coriander, salt, turmeric, and black pepper. Use a fork or potato masher to combine everything. It’s okay if a few lumps remain.
6. Cut the dough into 8 pieces and roll each piece into a ball with your hands. Dust each ball with flour.
7. Sprinkle some flour on your working surface and use a rolling pin to roll each ball into a thin circle with a diameter of roughly 20 – 22 cm. You’re aiming for a thickness similar to that of a tortilla. The thinner the better, but not so thin that it will rip if handled.
8. Before adding the filling, gently lift the rolled-out dough and heavily flour your working surface.
9. Spread ⅓ of a cup of the potato filling over half of the dough. Making sure to leave a 1 cm border along the edge. Dip your fingers in a bowl of water and spread a little bit of water along this border, only on one half of the circle.
10. Fold the dough in half, over the filling, to create a half-moon-shaped bolani.
11. Press out all the air bubbles from the bolani using your fingers, starting from the folded side to the edge. Pinch the edges with your fingers to fully seal the bolani.
12. Add 1 tsp (5 mL) of oil to a large pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the bolani to the pan.
13. Cook for 2 – 3 minutes or until the bottom is golden. Meanwhile, use a pastry brush to brush some more oil on top of the bolani. When the bottom is golden, flip, and let cook on the other side until golden. Then transfer the cooked bolani to a cooling rack.
14. Cut the bolani in triangles and serve with green chutney, enjoy.