South Indian Poli Recipe - Boli | Obbattu | Bobbatlu | Holige

Archana Doshi

January 15, 2021

7946 Ratings

Time:Prep: 1h 0m|Cook: 1h 0m|Total: 2h 0min

Makes:6 Servings

Meal:Dessert

Cuisine:South Indian Recipes

The South Indian Poli Recipe is a very traditional recipe that is made with a combination of lentils, spices and coconut. The addition of coconut along with cardamon in the filling gives the poli a rich and delicious taste.

Poli is most often made during the festivals like Pongal or special occasions in the family. It is also called as Obbattu/Holige in Kannada or Obbattu in Telugu. Each region has a variation to make this recipe and in fact, every home has a unique style too.

Note: Traditionally Maida is used in the recipe, but to make it healthy, I have used whole wheat flour.

If you like this recipe of South Indian Style Poli, here are a few more South Indian sweet recipes

Note: Traditionally Maida is used in the recipe, but to make it healthy, I have used whole wheat flour.

If you like this recipe of South Indian Style Poli, here are a few more South Indian sweet recipes

Watch video recipe of South Indian Poli Recipe - Boli | Obbattu | Bobbatlu | Holige

Ingredients

Ingredients for the dough

1-/2 Whole Wheat Flour

1/4 Turmeric powder (Haldi)

1 Oil

Ghee, for serving

Ingredients for the filling

1 Arhar dal (Split Toor Dal), or chana dal

1-1/2 Jaggery

1/2 Fresh coconut, optional

1 Cardamom Powder (Elaichi)

Instructions for South Indian Poli Recipe - Boli | Obbattu | Bobbatlu | Holige

To begin making South Indian Poli / Obbattu / Holige recipe, we will first make the dough for the poli.

Add flour and turmeric powder into a large bowl; combine it with little water at a time and knead until the dough gathers together to form a firm dough mixture.

Add the 1 tablespoon of oil to coat the dough and knead for a couple of more minutes until smooth and firm. Cover and let the dough sit in a cool place until we get the lentil filling ready.

Cook chana dal or toor dal with 1 to 1-1/4 cups of water until soft and is well cooked. Drain any excess water from the dal and keep aside.

Heat ghee in a pan on medium heat, add the jaggery and stir until the jaggery dissolves completely.

Stir in the cooked lentils, coconut and cardamom to the jaggery mixture until well combined.

Continue stirring the mixture until the filling mixture begins to thicken and leaves the sides of the pan. At this point turn off the heat and allow the filling mixture (puran) to cool completely.

Divide the dough and puran mixture into 12 portions.

Keeping a little flour for dusting handy on a plate; roll out the dough into 3 inch diameter circles. Place a portion of the Poli/ Holige/ Obbattu filling (puran mixture) into the center of the circle.

Bring edges of the circle towards the center and fold over to cover the entire filling; making sure the edges are all sealed well by pinching them together if there is any opening.

Flatten the stuffed dough; dust the dough over a little flour and roll gently into a 6 to 8 inch diameter circle taking care not to put too much pressure as the filling can come out of the dough.

Preheat an iron skillet on medium high; place the rolled Poli/ Holige/ Obbattu onto the skillet to cook until golden brown on both sides. You can cook the Poli/ Holige/ Obbattu with ghee to give it a richer taste and flavor.

Repeat the above process for all the remaining dough and puran portions.

Serve South Indian Puran Poli/ Holige/ Obbattu hot with ghee smeared on the top during festivals and special occasions in your family.