300th Post - Holige.. A traditional sweet from Karnataka & Two Cookbook Giveaways

Hi.

They say slow and steady wins the race and today as I post my 300th post I definitely find myself a winner. I’m a winner because, not only have I managed to post 300 recipes in the last 2-1/2yrs but also I’ve managed to make a small niche for myself in the big world of food blogging. I’ve recently started book reviewing and both my recent reviews- Master Chef India Cookbook & Southern Flavours have had a good readership.

The world of food is like an ocean and we the food blogger’s are like droplets that form it. There’s so much to learn and absorb that  even if I try to be at my best all the times through out my life, I guess I’ll be able to fill a jar full of knowledge for myself.

In all the learning, there were up’s and downs too in this period and I had to be away from blogging but I would gather myself again and re-start. And during these ups and downs, those encouraging words from my readers and fellow bloggers, kept me going. Thanks so much for all your love and support.

Coming to today’s recipe… Recently my MIL was visiting us and she used to get bored at times. At 75yrs she likes to keep herself  very active. She is extremely fond of cooking and once during a general chit chat,  mentioned casually that she had not made Holige in recent times as it’s readily available in the market but she would love to make it for her grandson. And after she said that, how could I leave the golden opportunity of learning the traditional dish..

I’ve grown up eating my Mom’s Puran Poli and I can challenge that I have not tasted a Puran Poli as good as hers and will share her version sometime here. Puran Poli is a sweet Indian Bread made in Maharashtra using a filling of Bengal gram. It is made on festive and happy occasions. Similarly, Holige is a preparation from Karnataka and though Puran Poli and Holige are considered synonymous to each other, I find that there’s quite a difference.

The first big difference is that Holige is made by using both pigeon peas and Bengal gram but Puran Poli is only made with Bengal gram. The dough made for Holige is quite different than Puran Poli and Holige is made using jaggery but Puran Poli can be made either with jaggery or with sugar. Both versions of Puran Poli taste very different from each other. The Holige traditionally is made on an oiled banana leaf but today it is even rolled out, and to the best of my Knowledge, Puran Poli is always rolled out. Holige is a yellow coloured flat bread, the yellow colour is due to the addition of turmeric while no turmeric is added in making Puran poli. Holige is rolled very thin, while Puran poli is surely thicker than it. The amount of filling filled in Holige is the same as the size of the dough, while in Puran poli double the amount of filling is filled as compared to the dough size.

Ingredients

(makes 15-18)

For The Dough

1-1/2cups whole wheat flour

1cup APF (maida)

pinch of turmeric

pinch of salt

water for kneading dough

5-6tbsp oil

For The Filling

1cup pigeon peas (tuvar daal)

1/2cup Bengal gram (chana daal)

250-300gms jaggery (gur)

1/2tsp turmeric

water for cooking

1tsp cardamom powder

1tsp nutmeg powder

Others

Rice flour for rolling

oil for cooking

ghee and milk for eating

Method

To make The Dough

Mix both the flours, salt and turmeric and using water, knead a dough much softer than the regular chapati dough. Soak it in oil for half-one hour. Keep the dough covered.

For Filling

Soak the lentils in water for half an hour (this quickens the process of cooking).

Add turmeric and add just enough water to cook the lentils.

Once the lentils are cooked either grind them to a smooth texture or pass it through a Puran making machine so that there are no grains left.

Take the lentils in a pan and add crushed or grated jaggery. Once the jaggery melts, one needs to be careful. If there was lot of water in the lentils the mix can keep splashing, so one needs to be careful at this stage. As the moisture will reduce the splashing comes down. (I prefer to wear full sleeve cloth while cooking the mix).

Cook both together as long as the it starts to leave the sides of the pan. Keep stirring through out.

My mom’s trick to understand the right consistency is to push the ladle in the centre of the mix, if it falls, the mix is not ready, if it stands, it’s ready to be used. (see pic above)

Let the filling cool. Mix in cardamom and nutmeg powders.

How To Make Holige

Heat a heavy bottom tava/griddle for roasting Holige.

Take the dough less than  the size of lemon and spread it to a flattened disc using fingers.

Fill the disc with the same amount of filling as the size of dough and close from all sides and seal well.

Use oiled hands to fill the filling, this prevents sticking of the filling on the hand and fingers.

Using rice flour roll out the flat bread else grease a plastic sheet and roll over it or pat it thin on a greased banana leaf.

Transfer gently on the hot tava/griddle.

Cook on either sides using light oil. Use all the dough to make Holige like this.

Serve hot or cold with ghee and milk.

Coming to the giveaways. Since it is my 300th post, I thought of making it really big. There are two cookbook giveaways for this post. The first is a new book released in 2011 by the very famous Monica Bhide and is called Modern Spice:Inspired Indian Flavours For The Contemporary Kitchen. It’s a book that’s been in my wish list for a while and hopefully I will have it soon. I am truly honoured and obliged that Monica agreed to sponsor this book as a  giveaway and since she lives in  the USA the book will be shipped only there. So this giveaway is open for all US readers and bloggers and anyone who wants to gift their friends living in USA.

       

I am also giving away a cookbook  to all my readers and blogger friends in India and will be shipped anywhere in the country. Any one can be a part of it as long as you can provide an address in India, you can also gift this book to your friend or relative. This is the second book that has been in my wish list  and it’s called Anjum’s New Indian and is authored by Anjum Anand. To read more about the books click on the links or pictures. The giveaway ends on 19th Feb’12 at 11:59hrs IST.

There are very simple rules to the participate in the giveaways, since I’m working towards making my blog more interesting and appealing, I do need your feedback. Let me know through your comments-

-Which country you belong to and which giveaway/aways you have opted for.

-What do you like/dislike in my blog.

-Which is your favourite recipe in my blog and what kind of posts you would like to see in future.

Since I want to make this giveaway a big event, please help me in spreading the word through your space and in case you are doing that do let me know by leaving  a separate comment for that, thus increasing your chance of winning the giveaways.

I would surely appreciate that if you like my space please be a fan of my page on face book and if you are new blogger or you are visiting my blog the first time, please follow me publicly or leave a link to your blog, so that I get an opportunity to reach your blog and learn from you. (Following my blog is not a condition that I’m throwing on you, it’s completely my selfishness, as I get to have a permanent link on my blog to go to your profile and then to your page).

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