Obbattu/Hollige/Bobbattu/Puran poli/Poli/Sweet chapatti

We wish every Telugu and Kannadiga a very happy, prosperous and foodie Ugadi.

Call it poli, hollige, obbattu, bobbattu, puran poli or sweet chapatti, this is a sweet that is made all over India for every festival and special occasion. Called poli in Tamil nadu, hollige in Karnataka, obbattlu in Karnataka and Rayalseema region of AP, bobbatlu in Andhra and puran poli in Maharashtra, this is a recipe that shall remind the reader of home, mom’s food and mom learning it from grandmom, who made them the best. The same is with us writers too.

Preparation time: 45-60mins




Ingredients:

Fine Semolina (Sooji/ Chiroti rava) 1 cup(250 g)
Flour (Maida) 1 tbsp
Refined cooking oil ½ cup
Pigeon peas (Toor dal/kandipappu) 1 cup (100 gms)
Jaggery(gur/bellam) 1 cup (50-100gms)
Freshand grated coconut (pachi kobbari) ½ cup (25gms)
Cardomom 2-4


Method:

Add maida to the semolina and soak for 3 hours.

After 3 hours, knead the soaked semolina and maida to make thick dough. Smear with oil and set aside for 10 mins.

To make purnam, i.e., the filling, roast for 5 mins: 1 cup cooked pigeon peas, 1 cup jaggery, a little fresh and grated coconut. Grind to fine paste along with cardamom.

Make average sized balls of the dough and bail circularly. Make balls of the filling and place in the centre of the bailed dough. Now make balls with the stuffing in between the dough and bail it again ala a paratha.

Fry using a tsp of oil on a pre- heated tawa/pan on both sides till the obbattu is done.

There is also another procedure that is used. After making stuffed balls of the dough, a milk packet/badam leaf/foil is smeared with oil and the stuffed balls are evenly patted in circular motion and then fried on a pre heated tawa.

Another way is to directly pat the stuffed balls on the tawa/pan, add required oil and place on the stove to bake.

Any which way, obbattu is done.

In Karnataka and Rayalseema, the obbattu is smeared with ghee and lukewarm badam milk is poured onto it to make a lump and the lump is savored, exactly after saaranna or rasam rice. In Tamil nadu it is either had as is or made into pieces and added to warm milk and served. This particular serving is called Paniyaaram in Tamizh. In Andhra the bobbatlu are smeared with ghee and served with the other delicacies to be had at anytime during the feast. So whatever the way it is had, it does taste sweet and superb.