Holige (Obattu)

Holige/Obattu/Puran poli - call it what u will...but d mere mention of obattu makes almost everyone's mouth water...especially when it's fresh n hot off the tava!
I've seen mom n granny slogging over this dish and i always thought i could never make it...apparently, i can :) and it feels good!!
Yeah, the mere mention of obattu can be unnerving..but trust me on this - just think of it as a sweet stuffed paratha... n before you know it, you'll be done.
It's hard to say how many you can make with this recipe, but u should be able to make 5-6 at least.

Ingredients:

For the covering (kanaka):

1 cup, maida (sifted)

4-5 teaspoons water

1 cup oil + 5-6 tablespoons oil (you may require more depending on the maida)

For the filling (hoorana):

1 cup, channa dal

1 cup jaggery, broken into small chunks (Vary this quantity depending on how sweet you want the obattus to be)

2 pods cardamom

Oil/ghee, to roast

Method:

Kanaka:

Sprinkle the water on the maida and mix. Now add 1 cup oil and mix until you get a cohesive, soft, pliable dough. If required, add more oil. Put the dough into a bowl and pour 5-6 tablespoons of oil over it. Let this rest for 2-3 hours at least (even overnight in the fridge is cool).

You may have some left over kanaka...use it to make parathas once you run out of the hoorana.

Hoorana:

Traditionally, the dal is boiled in an uncovered pan until cooked. I opted to use the pressure cooker...use whtever works for u. However, i must mention that if boiled in an uncovered pan, drain the dal and collect the water. You can make yummy saaru (curry) from it which i will post one fine day.

Cook the dal until soft and tender (but not mushy) and let it cool a bit. Blend the dal and cardamom. Transfer to a pan, add jaggery and cook till the jaggery melts and the end  result is a smooth, slightly sticky paste. Let this mixture cool.

Now comes the tough bit....Just follow the process of making a stuffed paratha.

Take a small lemon sized portion of the kanaka and using oiled foil or an oiled plastic sheet, spead it out a bit to form an even circle. Place a small orange sized portion of the hoorana on it.

Seal the ends of the hoorana enclosing the kanaka inside it. Now, starting from the centre, moving outwards, pat with your hands to form a big sized circle as shown below.

P.S - Do not worry if some hoorana oozes out or the kanaka wears out a bit. It's fine :)

 Heat a tava, overturn the obattu on it and using ghee or oil, roast on both sides till golden brown and yummy!! Serve with dollops of ghee/milk or both...

Sit back and savour the compliments, it'll be worth it! :)