Bobatlu (Pooran poli) is an Indian sweet dish, especially made during Ugadi Festival. The dish is
prepared by the people of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra for this festive occasion. The
dish has many names like, Holige, Bobatlu, Obattu, Poli, Puranachi Poli, God Poli, Pooran Poli and so on. The dish is best relished with hot milk, pure ghee, as well as jaggery and khus khus (poppy seeds) kheer.
Ugadi is celebrated as New Year in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. In Maharashtra,
it’s celebrated as Gudi Padwa. The word 'Ugadi' is derived from Sanskrit,
which means beginning of a new year (Yuga – era, aadi – beginning). It
also heralds the onset of the spring – synonymous with ushering in of
new life on earth. Spring is considered as the first season of the year
indicating a new beginning. The trees shed old leaves paving way for the
new one. Ugadi Pachadi is a significant and delicious traditional
recipe prepared on Ugadi festival.
Temples and homes are decorated on this New Year day. The entrances are decorated with fresh mango leaves. The significance of tying mango leaves relates to a legend. Karthika and Ganesha, the two sons of Lord Shiva, and Parvathi were said to be fond of mangoes. According to mythology, Karthika exhorted people to tie mango leaves to the doorway signifying a bumper crop and general wellbeing of the household. Colourful rangolis are drawn in front of the houses to welcome the New Year. So let us welcome the New year with this sweet dish, Bobatlu (Pooran Poli).
Ingredients:
1. Split Red Gram/Toor dal/Tur dal - One and half cup
2. All Purpose Flour/ Maida - One and half cup
3. Jaggery/Gur - One and half cup
4. Grated Coconut - 1/4 cup (optional)
5. Cardomom/Elaichi (powdered) - 4 to 5 pieces
6. Turmeric - a pinch
7. Salt - a pinch
8. Oil as per the need
Cooking Method:
1. Add a pinch of turmeric to the all purpose flour/maida and make a soft dough using water as required. Once the dough is formed, add 3 tbsp. of oil and mix them all uniformly well. Cover it and keep it aside.
2. Cook the split red gram/toor dal with 3 cups of water. Once the dal is cooked, decant the excess water. Keep aside this dal water to make a Bobatlu Rasam.
3. Add grated coconut, jaggery and powdered cardomom to the cooked dal and cook it until the jaggery is melted and becomes little thick.
4. Let the mixture cool and then grind this into fine paste. Make small round shaped balls with this paste for stuffing.
5. Take a banana plantain leaf, place it upside down and smear it with ghee/oil. Flatten out small ball sized quantity of the maida dough on this plantain leef . Place a round sized ball of sweet stuffing and cover it completely. Put this round ball of maida and sweet stuffing upside down and flatten it out once again uniformly.
6. Heat up a heavy bottomed pan and once the pan is hot, slide the polis on a pan from the leaf and cook the flattened polis on both side by applying small amount of ghee/oil. Follow this procedure for the rest of the dough and stuffing, and enjoy hot polis with ghee, milk or the Jaggery and Khus Khus Kheer.
Jaggery and Khus Khus Kheer
Ingredients:
1. Jaggery/gur/gud - 1/2 cup
2. Poppy seeds/Khus Khus - 2 tbsp.
3. Coconut Milk - 2 tbsp.
4. Cardomom - 2 nos.
5. Milk - 2 tbsp.
6. Ghee - 1 tsp.
Cooking Method:
1. Powder the Cardamom finely. Soak the poppy seeds in little water for some time until it becomes tender and make a paste of it.
2. Melt jaggery with 1/2 to 3/4 th cup water on a low flame.
3. Once the jaggery is melted add cardamom powder, coconut milk, poppy seeds paste and bring it to boil. Switch off the flame.
4. Once the jaggery water cools down, add fresh milk and ghee, and mix it. Its ready to relish.
Notes
Jaggery and Khus Khus Kheer
Ingredients:
1. Jaggery/gur/gud - 1/2 cup
2. Poppy seeds/Khus Khus - 2 tbsp.
3. Coconut Milk - 2 tbsp.
4. Cardomom - 2 nos.
5. Milk - 2 tbsp.
6. Ghee - 1 tsp.
Cooking Method:
1. Powder the Cardamom finely. Soak the poppy seeds in little water for some time until it becomes tender and make a paste of it.
2. Melt jaggery with 1/2 to 3/4 th cup water on a low flame.
3. Once the jaggery is melted add cardamom powder, coconut milk, poppy seeds paste and bring it to boil. Switch off the flame.
4. Once the jaggery water cools down, add fresh milk and ghee, and mix it. Its ready to relish.
Notes
* For the recipe instead of split red gram, one can also use bengal gram (channa dal), the same quantity, or can use both red gram and bengal gram (tur dal and channal dal) in equal proportion.
* Once the dough and stuffing is ready, you can refrigerate this for a week and can be made polis when needed. So you can relish hot polis any time.
* If one cannot find banana leaf, you can also use foil/plastic sheet/butter paper. Once you have flattened the dough with stuffing to a round shape, slide it on to your hand and then place it on hot pan.
* If by pressure cooking dal, the dal gets mashed up or over cooked, do not panic, just add all other ingredients and keep stiring until it gets thick and make a small round size balls and continue the rest.
* If by pressure cooking dal, the dal gets mashed up or over cooked, do not panic, just add all other ingredients and keep stiring until it gets thick and make a small round size balls and continue the rest.
* If difficulty in flattening the dough after the stuffing to round size, place this stuffed dough on a plastic sheet and place another plastic sheet over it and just press it with your hand to a round shape. So you can use any trick and enjoy this dessert.
