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Obattu / Holige / Puran Poli with Avalakki (Poha) - Ugadi Recipe - A Traditional Sweet Flat Bread From South India)

Obattu / Holige / Puran poli is a sweet flat bread made during festivals, in south of India. It’s a very traditional Indian sweet. This flat bread is made by making a sweet filling stuffed, which is covered by dough and flattened like a paratha and cooked on a tawa.
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 6 minutes
Total Time 6 hours 6 minutes
Servings 15

Ingredients

For Covering

  • 1/2 cup Chiroti rava
  • 1/2 cup Maida
  • 1/4 to 1/3 cup oil
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • Water as required to make the dough

For Stuffing / Filling (Hoorna / Poorna)

  • 1/2 Cup Red Poha / Avalakki
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated coconut
  • 1 cup Jaggery
  • 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
  • Maida for dusting (optional)** check notes

Instructions

  • Take equal quantity of Chiroti Rava and Maida with a tsp of turmeric and oil, a little salt mix everything together then start adding water to make it into a soft dough. Let the dough bit sticky softer than chapati dough. Knead it very well for at least 5 minutes using one or two tsp of oil if it gets sticky, soak it with the remaining oil and leave it for 3 to 4 hours covered.
    Ugadi festival, Gudi padwa, Festival, Indian
  • Now let’s make the filling.  Take Red Poha in a bowl wash it well and soak it for 10 to 20 minutes hour it becomes soft mash it well, take equal quantity of grated coconut and grind it to almost a smooth paste don't grind it too much as coconut gives out water mix both together and keep aside. Otherwise, you can grind poha, coconut and jaggery all together to a paste.
    Ugadi festival, Gudi padwa, Festival, Indian
  • I have used 1 cup of Jaggery (you can adjust Jaggery to your liking) but don’t reduce it too much, for two things one you won’t get the consistency of the dough as jaggery helps in binding it properly and the taste becomes little bland and won’t be interesting to eat.
    Ugadi festival, Gudi padwa, Festival, Indian
  • Take powdered jaggery in a kadai, add ¼ cup of water for it to dissolve, once it completely dissolves filter it through a strainer to remove the impurities, then return it back to the kadai once it starts boiling add the poha mixture into it and start mixing it well enough so it gets completely combined and allow it cook in a medium to low flame for few minutes, keep stirring in intervals so that it doesn’t get burnt and everything comes to one whole non sticky mass.  Don’t make it too dry that spoils the consistency.  Hoorna/Poorna  is now ready. add one or two tbsp of ghee and leave it to cool down. 
    Ugadi festival, Gudi padwa, Festival, Indian
  • Take the dough and knead it very well with the help of oil, oil helps in stretching the dough like an elastic. Now the dough is ready to make the poli. Make small balls of the filling and covering as shown in the figure. The covering dough should be half the size of the stuffing.
    Ugadi festival, Gudi padwa, Festival, Indian
  • Take grease proof foil or Banana leaf or some foil which can withstand the heat, spread some oil on it then take the stuffed poli and flatten it using your fingertips into a nice round.
    Ugadi festival, Gudi padwa, Festival, Indian
  • Heat a tawa transfer the flattened poli on to it by slowly realising it cook on both the sides, drizzle oil around. Brushing oil flip and cook on both the sides. Once done serve it with a dollop of ghee, serve it hot!
    Ugadi festival, Gudi padwa, Festival, Indian

Notes

**I use another method to make poli covering, to use less oil my mom makes the dough,  oil it lightly just on around the dough and leaves it in the fridge until needed then take it out and kneads it’s very well like kneading bread and makes it so elastic.