Pooran Poli / Puran Poli (Holige / Obbattu)

This is one of my favorite sweet. In my native North Kanara, I have seen some people who are experts in making these. I think a lot of patience and experience is required to get the perfect texture of this. I tried this for the first time, it tasted heavenly. Though I know I can improve a lot.

This is called Holige or Obbattu in Kannada. Unlike the normal obbattu, we add a pinch of turmeric to make it look yellowish(If there is another reason for adding turmeric, I am not aware of it!!!).

I had never thought I will even try to make them in my life. But then, my blog has changed a lot of things in my life :). When I was a kid, I pestered my Aayi to make them for me. She asked me hundred times, “are you sure, you are going to eat them??”, I think she knew I wont eat much. But she still prepared it for me. I ate just ONE (I had asked her to make a lot of them, so that I can eat for a week or so). She had to finish the remaining somehow. From then onwards, she never made them again 🙁 (I was(am) very bad at eating).
Please make sure you have patience and time before trying it. If you make them in hurry, you might completely spoil them ;).

Ingredients:
Chana dal 1 cup
Jaggery 1 cup
Cardamom 1 tea spn
Maida/Plain flour 1 and 1/2 cups
Turmeric a pinch
Wheat sooji(rava) (optional) 2 tea spns
Oil 1 tea spn
Salt a pinch

Method:
Cook Chana dal in pressure cooker. Drain all the water.
Cook dal mixed with jaggery for 10min. Grind without using water. Add cardamom and mix well with hand to get a smooth mixture. (This mixture is called “HooraNa” in Kannada).
Mix flour/maida with sooji(optional), turmeric, salt. Add water,oil and make a dough. Cover and keep aside for 1hr. (This mixture is called “KaNaka” in Kannada).
Take a ball of dough and spread with hand. Keep a ball of chana mixture and cover with the dough and seal the ends as shown in the picture.

Apply oil to a plastic paper, keep the ready ball on it and roll it like chapathi (The plastic and oil prevents it from sticking). Fry on hot tava till it gets golden brown color.
Serve hot/cold with ghee.

Serves : 4
Preparation time : 45min

Some tips (I read this somewhere and felt worth mentioning them):
– Use milk instead of water for making the maida dough to make pooran polis very soft.
– Use Toor dal along with chana dal to make them more thin and soft.
– If the chana dal mixture becomes too dry and cannot be made into balls, add some avalakki(thin poha) or 1 spn rice flour to it.
– Use rava and flour in 1:1 proportion to make the outer wrap very soft.

64 thoughts on “Pooran Poli / Puran Poli (Holige / Obbattu)”

  1. Supriya, Puran poli is very famous in Karnataka with the name Holige. Every house uses their own way to make perfect puran polis. I found an article where they mention rava makes these very soft. I will try your method next time.

  2. hii shilpa

    have been very impressed with your blog
    uhave done a wonderfull job
    in andhra this dish is called bobattu

  3. Hey Shilpa
    I tried the holige recipe many times now it comes even better than what we used to eat in the restaurant.Thanks a lot.:)(ps.LOVE every single recipe here.)

  4. Hi shilpa, i tried puran poli today for raksha bandhan. I used oil instead of ghee and they turned out to be “crispy puran poli” dont’ know where i went wrong! was it the use of oil ?


    Shilpa: Did you roast the polis for a long time? that would make them crispy.

  5. Hi Shilpa,

    I suppose it was the oil. I didn’t apply too much oil while roasting the polis. I roasted the polis like we do for normal chapatis – till they have some brown spots.

  6. Hi Shilpa, I tried one more variant of puran poli. My mom-in-law told me this one. I had some puran left, so I added it in the chapati batter. That tasted very nice too 🙂

  7. Hi

    Delighted to come across your website – very well documented recipes. I have been living in Singapore since 1978 and have forgotten the taste of some of the good ole konkani dishes. Tks. I will visit your site often and try out the recipes.

  8. Sowmya Venkatesh

    Hi Shilpa…
    first of all i wish you and your family a very happy deepawali….
    ok….now coming to my query…is it difficult to roll? 🙂

    Shilpa: No its quite easy.

  9. Hii..

    In karnataka they sell the cocunut poli in packs.. which remains for months.. how to make that.. mail me regarding how to preserve this for a week atleaset.. any preservatives?

    Shilpa: Check out coconut poli(kayi holige). Usually no preservatives are added. Both these remain good in refrigerator for atleast 15days.

  10. You can put the puran poli in a zip lock bag or airtight plastic bag and seal it. Make sure there is no air trapped inside because they will cause freezer burns. When you want to eat them, microwave for 30-45 seconds and it will still be fresh. Great way to preserve Puran Polis for many months.

  11. Hi Shilps
    I tried Obbittu for the first time yesterday.I used my mom’s recipe.It’s similar to urs but she adds coconut and poppy seeds(fried till little brownish)to the hoorana.And also we don’t add rava to the dough.It came out very good.
    Also a tip i got from her.My mixer doesn’t allow me to grind without water.So she told me to fry the hooraNa on non-stick tava until it gets thicker.
    I have learnt a lot from this site.I wanted to share this with you and your readers.

  12. hi,

    i am new to cooking i dont have any tips but i just wanted to thank u for posting this recipe. I am newly married and staying with my husband in US this is good source for me to try, i never got time to do earlier as was busy with my work schedule and i am also from north karanataka.
    thanks once again.

    cheers
    shweta

  13. It is good. I will make it. Please me know how to make . the mahatrastrian eat this poli with Hamti. This is made with the remaining of water left after the chann daal is boiled. They dont throw. they make Hamti of it. I have eat this, but how to make i dont know.

  14. Instead of throwing the water after boiling the dal,use it to make rasam/saaru…it tastes very good….it is called ObbatSaaru

  15. Instead of throwing the water after boiling the dal,use it to make rasam/saaru…it tastes very good….it is called ObbatSaaru..and instead of pressure cooking the dal if you cook it directly on the gas it comes out much better….

  16. Thank u soooo much Shilpa. Even i am north canara…… i love holige. I wud not have tried it without this recipe of urs. My husband likes them too, so am making them today. Hope i succeed in it and see that smile on my husbands face. 🙂

  17. I went through ur receipie, but what I felt is holige is called for something in which coconut is one of the main ingredient. But in urs it is not there or I might not have updated myself.
    Anyway thanx for the bele obbattu( is what is actually called for the aboe receipie.
    Regards,
    Ps

  18. Hi there!

    I am a big fan of aayisrecipes after having tried a few disahes successfully from here.
    Do you know how to make sakkare holige? I remember eating them when I was a kid, my mom had one lady who would come home and cook them for us. Since then, we have left that place and no contact whatsoever with that lady. It is one of those rare dishes that keeps coming back to my memories. It is not any of the other holiges that we are used to normally, it is crispy and very thin like papad and tastes heavenly! Heard from someone that they make it only in Davangere/Belgaum side.
    Please post it if any of you know the recipe for this. Thanks!

    Regards.
    Niyati

  19. hey thnks supriya i was dying to know abt this recipe will surely try it for holi,being a mangalorean but now settled in delhi miss all the south indian food here n holige is my fav.Thanks again

  20. In Mumbai , this is a Holi special! N m here to note it n make it tom, tks for sharing recipe, techniques n also tips! HAPPY HOLI dear Shilpa..(Tu masta busy assa nave new jobantu..take care..velu mellyari drop a line..wd b so happy to hear frm u!) Wd post feedback soon. 🙂

  21. Hey Shilpa,
    First of all,I would like to wish you a very Happy Holi.
    I tried your recipe of pooran poli today and it turned out amazing…my husband just loved it! i m a big fan of your website & i always go through your website before trying anything new.Thanks a lot for doing such a wonderful job!

  22. Hi
    I enjoy going thr ur site..especially when u use kannada words just feel so good abt it and makes me relate to my family…Thanks for the recipe of puran poli…keep the good work.By the way I could not get the recipe of Missal Pav?

  23. I want coconut holige ingredients what all you use.
    hi, i loved your receipe reallyvery much One thing i saw dhall holige you havenot mentioned which type of soji to be used. I appreciate you that you have given lot of information about holige, what is channa dhall in kannada, one clarification do we need any flour (miada etc0
    or we may mix only soji, termeric, salt, oil, and after mixing the dough we should pour oil on it or not. KIndly please inform me the suggestions i have sent to u.

    Regards,
    girija

    Shilpa: coconut holige is under sweets.

  24. I have one doubt, we have to fry hoorna or not.

    I was thinking to do this recipe for a long time, but I could not , i Will try soon

    Shilpa: As explained in the recipe, you need to cook dal and jaggery together, then grind it. After grinding, you need not heat it (unless it is too watery)

  25. Hi Shilpa,

    If toor dal is to be added with chana dal, what is the proportion? If the hoorna is dry do you powder avalakki and add it?

    Shilpa: Sorry, I don’t know.

  26. Pingback: Video: Making Puran Polis « Arun Shanbhag

  27. Sourdough Alternative
    I add a bit of coconut to mine when I add jaggery and also use ghee/butter in making bread dough. In fact, I use a bit of sourdough culture to make my dough for any chapati/roti bread tobe a bit tangier and softer- when you pan-fry it comes out very nice and puffs easily. In olden days India, dough was always left out to ferment for a few hours. Actually sourdough culture, or Levain as they they say in France, has digestive bacterias (like yoghurt), which allow you to breakdown wheat more easily- this is very good for those who can’t have yeast, have some gluten intolerance or those who have diabetes or nutritional assimilation problems. Anyways to make your own sourdough culture take 1/4 cup of white flour and mix with filtered or chlorine-free water making a dosa or pancake batter consistency and place in jar with a lid. Keep in a draft-free area and out of the sun. Every day dump out 1/2 the mixture and add another 1/4 cup white flour plus water. In the summer you will only have to do this for about 8-10 days to get a nice tangy smelling and bubbly culture. In the cooler seasons, this can take up to 2 weeks unless you keep jar near a heater or warm place. When you have turned out a mixture that is bubbly and tangy (it will burn your nose hairs when you smell it), then it is ready. You can store in the fridge and should feed culture about twice a week by dumping out 1/2 of it and adding new flour and water. You will need about one cup of the culture for every chapati/roti batch- adjust the flour and water. After making dough, allow it to sit covered in a oiled bowl with plastice wrap for 4-6 hours out of sunlight (kills bacterias)- it will rise. Sometimes you have to prepare dough a day or two ahead of time if the culture has gone a bit brown. If you leave for more then a week w/out feeding, it will turn blackish and smell bad but dump out and add new flour/water. It will take a couple days of changing to bounce back. Here’s to good health and good eating! Namaskar

  28. Also forgot to say let sourdough sit out for 6 hours after feeding to prepare it for use- it is best to use at room temp. and when it has gotten bubbly again.

  29. Hi Shilpa,

    Thank you or your wonderful receipe. I prepared it today and found it come out exactly as pe your instuctions

    . btw…Your previous website was better…I think this is too westernized

  30. Why puranpoli is not perfectly yellow without black spots? It is suggested to try frying on an induction heater to get uniform heat from all sides.

  31. Hi Shilpa,
    I love you holige/puran poli recipe and also the little tip about adding turmeric to the poli. I also tried a similar recipe on my blog but used half wheat flour and half all purpose flour.

  32. Shilpa, this seems like a good recipe – I will definitely try it out. I have never heard of adding rawa to the dough [peeta]. And I’m guessing there are a lot of people assuming this is mainly Maharastrian because you called it Pooran Poli. As far as I know, we call it Poonpolo in Konkani, but of course, it depends on what type of Konkani you speak. 🙂

  33. Thanks for your recipe. Its nice. My mom and I add half a teaspoon of Nutmeg (Jaiphal) powder in addition to the Cardamom in the stuffing (pooran). The aroma of nutmeg dominates that of cardamom. However, too much of it gives a sort of bitterness. Apart fom using chana dal+tur dal, my mom and I also tried out using half jaggery and half sugar. That came out well too.

  34. it z vry gud dish i like so much………..and my frd nithi also like tiz…………………………….

  35. Hi…
    Awesome recipe…!!!!!!!!
    I’ve been searching and literally begging all my friends for this recipe but no 1 got it for me… But finally I’ve got my Favourite recipe which I can try it by myself rather than getting it from Shop….
    Thank U so Much…..

  36. Hai,

    The recipe is very good. My husband liked a lot. After a long time i was able to prepare such good puranpoli. The tips at the end helped a lot.

    Thanks a ton.

  37. Meenakshi Shankar

    Very nicely wriitern recipie..have tried this once and failed so was searching for a better recipie.. thnks for sharing.

  38. My dear mother died recently and she always made this for my birthday. This year, I will make it and eat in her honour. Thank you for the recipe

  39. I tried, but there was a bit problem in the chana dal and jaggery mixture, as u mentioned i cooked jaggery for 10 minutes, but it became watery instead of mixture. please advise

  40. I’m a Punjabi married to a Konkani. I tried ur recipe n it was great. My husband loved it. How ling can v preserve them without refrigeration?

  41. hi Shilpa,
    I cooked puran and found out that it is not sweet enough. What should i do to make it sweet enough for my taste? should i just add some more jaggery and heat it again? please advise.
    Thanks.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.