Diwali for kids and adults

Resources for Diwali awareness that are helpful for every household in the world! I have compiled some links to Youtube videos and added a few books that are available on the internet to help families educate their loved ones about Diwali.

Helpful Diwali Information

A celebration! The festival of lights is not just a national holiday, but it is one that is religious and celebrated by those of the hindu religion. A holiday that dates back years back and has history. The fun that comes along with this holiday for a total of 5 days is what is most commonly enjoyed and well known to everyone. Diwali for kids can be a very fun time with fireworks, presents, days off of school, new clothes, and LOTS AND LOTS of great food.

Diwali Foods for Kids

What is a tasty delight for Diwali? For me, vermi (often times pronounced vedmi) or puran poli is a favorite. A sweet lentil mixture stuffed inside whole wheat flour that is then cooked in a pan with oil and topped with a generation dollup of ghee. It is a a recipe not to pass up for any traditional Indian holiday. You can find the recipe here.

Diwali for Kids Youtube Videos

Other Videos

Diwali Books

Interested in purchasing some books for Diwali? Here is a list that might interest you

  1. Binny’s Diwali
  2. Let’s Celebrate Diwali
  3. Mom, Tell me About Diwali

Kid Diwali Printables

A kid Diwali worksheet with rangoli. - 1

Meal Inspiration

New Recipes Coming Soon

A Butter Chicken recipe created by recipe developer The Curry Mommy - 2 Puran Poli stuffed with sweet lentil mixture gujarati thali recipe - 3 THE BEST Okra recipe with no slime cooked in an air fryer and pan fried. - 4

Puran Poli is a main course Indian delicacy that is known as vedmi in Gujarat, India.

This Indian sweet is e njoyed on special occasions like Diwali or family gatherings. In this delicious Surati Gujarati Thali version of Puran Poli, toor daal is cooked, sweetened, and stuffed in whole wheat roti flour dough.

puran poli sweet stuffing inside whole wheat flour - 5

Diwali Meal - Make these ahead of time with my tips below! Puran Poli is a must-have for Diwali in my family. With that said, I wish you and your family a very Happy Diwali and a Happy New Year.

  • Ingredients
  • How to Make the Stuffing
  • How to Make the Puran Poli
  • Equipment Needed
  • Storage
  • Top Tips
  • 📖 Recipe
  • FAQ
  • 💬 Community

Ingredients

Puran Poli stuffed with sweet lentil mixture gujarati thali recipe - 6

Stuffing Ingredients

  • toor daal - oily or non-oily versions work great.
  • water
  • sugar
  • cinnamon powder
  • nutmeg powder

Roti/Atta

  • whole wheat flour (desi atta) - I like to use khazana or 24 mantra brand
  • water
  • oil or ghee
  • all purpose flour for dusting

Topping

  • ghee

How to Make the Stuffing

Cook the toor daal per instructions in the recipe card then heat and mix it until it thickens like a dough. This can be done in the microwave or on a stove-to p based on your preference.

sweetened toor daal - 7

Add sugar and spices to the dal and then mix again. Cook the dal until it becomes thick again.

toor dal sweetened with sugar - 8

Once it cools down, knead the mixture.

dough like stuffing - 9

Divide the stuffing into equal parts.

5 round balls of sweet stuffing for puran poli - 10

How to Make the Puran Poli

Make the dough according to the instructions in the recipe card and then roll out the dough. Try to keep the middle thicker than the outer edges, and then place the stuffing in the center.

round dough of whole wheat flour - 11

Gather the edges and remove the excess dough.

Excess roti dough from the poli - 12

Roll them out until your favored desired thickness has been reached. I like to add extra stuffing and keep the dough layer thin.

whole wheat flour with stuffing - 13

After rolling them out, cook them in a pan on both sides until golden brown.

stuffed vedmi being cooked - 14

TIP: Enjoy warm with ghee.

Equipment Needed

  • Instant Pot (or pressure cooker) - to cook the toor dal.
  • Immersion Hand Blender - to evenly blend the cooked dal
  • Microwave - using a microwave is an easier option to thicken the dal versus whisking the mixture on a stovetop.
  • Microwave Safe Bowl
  • Spatula for mixing
  • Rolling Pin - to roll out the puran poli
  • Nonstick Pan - can use cast iron or an everyday roti pan as well
  • Spatula for flipping

Storage

Freeze- The puran poli or the stuffing can be placed in the freezer for up to 3 months at a time or refrigerated for up to 3 days. Here is how to freeze them…

  1. Freeze just the stuffing - Portion them into individual sized balls and them place them in Freezer Friendly Ziplock bags and place in the freezer. Defrost and cook- Defrost the stuffing when ready to use in a microwave or at room temperature. Then, make the roti dough and continue the process as instructed in the recipe card below.
  2. Freeze after fully cooking - Make the Puran Poli, but lightly cook them in oil instead of turning them to a golden brown color. Let them cool down, layer each with parchment paper on top and stack them one on top of each other, then place them in a freezer friendly container.

Reheating Instructions- Defrost them in the microwave or at room temperature. Then, cook them on low heat using little to no oil on the stovetop until golden brown.

Top Tips

  1. Enjoy with a generous dollup of fresh made ghee
  2. When rolling them out, make the Vedmi the size of a palm but about an ¾" thick
  3. Make them ahead of time and warm them up on low heat in a pan one at a time.

Love Gujarati Cuisine? Give these a try…

  • Sev Usal Recipe
  • Indian Salad Recipe with Greens
  • Khatta Poodla - Savory Rice Flour Pancakes
  • Chili Garlic Chutney Recipe (Lahsun ki Chutney)
  1. Surati Khaman Dhokla Recipe
  2. Gujarati Kichdi an Everyday Comfort Food
  3. Indian Salad Recipe with Greens

📖 Recipe

puran poli recipe sweet lentil with ghee pan cooked indian holiday food thali - 15

Puran Poli Recipe (Surati Gujarati Vedmi)

Equipment

  • ▢ Instant Pot
  • ▢ Hand Blender
  • ▢ Microwave
  • ▢ Microwave Safe Bowl
  • ▢ Spatula for mixing
  • ▢ Rolling Pin
  • ▢ Nonstick Pan
  • ▢ Spatula for flipping

Ingredients1x2x3x

SWEET STUFFING

  • ▢ 1 cup toor daal
  • ▢ 2 cups water
  • ▢ 1 cup sugar
  • ▢ 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
  • ▢ ½ teaspoon nutmeg powder

ROTI/ATTA

  • ▢ 2 cups 24 Mantra whole wheat flour (desi atta)
  • ▢ 1 ¼ cup water
  • ▢ 2 tablespoon oil or ghee
  • ▢ all purpose flour for dusting

ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS

  • ▢ ghee

Instructions

SWEET STUFFING

  • Rinse the 1 cup of toor daal really well and place it in in an Instant Pot.
  • Pour the 2 cups of water into the Instant Pot with the daal, close the lid and set the valve to sealed (no air should escape during the cooking process), and set it to 15 minutes.
  • Allow the Instant Pot to cool naturally. Once the valve drops open the Instant Pot.
  • Blend the daal using a hand blender until no lumps remain.
  • Place the mixture in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high heat at 5 minute intervals mixing each time until it thickens to a point where it forms a ball. This process can take about 15-20 minutes.
  • Once the mixture has thickened add the sugar and spices. This will make the mixture runny again. Mix it well and continue to cook in the microwave until the mixture is able to form a ball again.
  • Once it has thickened. Let it cool until you are able to touch it with your hands.
  • Knead the mixture for a brief 30 seconds/1 minute and then form 8-10 balls (this number can vary based on how thick you want the Vermi to be).

ROTI/ATTA

  • Combine the ingredients until the dough has formed a soft ball. Feel free to use a kitchen mixture or use your hands to knead the dough.
  • Divide the dough into 8-10 rounds (this depends on how big/thick you want your Vermi to be).

COMPILING THE VERMI

  • Take a roti dough ball and roll it into a small circle keeping the middle thicker then the outer round (it doesn’t have to be a perfect round).
  • Place a stuffing ball in the middle of the roti.
  • Combine the edges together to make a tight stuffed ball and remove the excess dough from the top (trust me, you don’t want to keep the extra dough on the Vermi).
  • Dust the Vermi ball with some all purpose flour and gently roll it into a circle. I prefer my Vermi to be thick, but this is all a personal preference.
  • Heat a pan on the stove top to medium high heat.
  • Add the rolled Vermi to the pan and cook for about 1 minute.
  • Flip over and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
  • Flip the Vermi back over and add some oil to the pan to cook it through while flipping it multiple times. The Vermi will inflate, you can gently tap the bubble to get it to be a complete inflated Vermi.
  • Enjoy hot with a generous serving of ghee.

Notes

  • These can be made ahead of time and heated through on a stovetop pan right before serving.
  • The stuffing can be placed in the freezer for a few months at a time. I roll them into portioned balls and place them in a freezer-safe bag.
  • Make them and cook them in a little bit of oil until barely brown, stack them between parchment paper after cooled, and then freeze them in a freezer-friendly container. Reheat them by defrosting and then cooking on low heat until golden brown with a little bit of oil.
  • Fresh ghee takes this dish to another level!

A mixture of toor daal , sugar, and spices that are stuffed into whole wheat flour dough, rolled out, and cooked until heated through. It is enjoyed with ghee on top or on the side.

Yes! Up to three months at a time. I like to put them in a Ziplock bag with parchment paper in between each.

Make it a complete meal with Khadi, Dal, Rice, Green Beans, Eggplant, Tindora, and Mung Salad.

Toor Dal is traditionally used.

Vedmi, Vermi, Sweet Roti, Sweet Paratha…