Poornam

Poornam is a traditional and tasty Indian dessert recipe made mainly of a rich filling of chana dal (split chickpeas) and jaggery with a soft dough often encasing it. Poornam can be prepared in different forms of sweets like poornam boorelu, which is a famous Andhra and Telangana dessert, or the savoury form poornam kozhukattai, which is typically made on Ganesh Chaturthi. The heart of the poornam recipe is the cooked chana dal mixed with jaggery and, sometimes, flavoured with cardamom or coconut to give it the flavour. It begins cooking chana dal till it becomes soft and then is blended into a mixture with melted jaggery to form a sticky, sweet paste. Then comes the dough-making from rice flour or wheat flour, which is shaped into small pockets or balls and filled with the poornam mixture. The savoury version adds a simple tempering of mustard seeds and curry leaves, making it more flavourful. Poornam is a delicious delight and holds cultural significance; it is prepared on occasions of religious importance and family functions. The recipe may differ from region to region, but the essence of poornam remains unchanged, symbolising love, culture, and taste. Whether savoured as a sweetmeat or used as a side dish, poornam is still carried to present with its characteristic texture and well-balanced flavour and hence becomes irresistible at any given juncture.