Ubattu (Poran Poli) : Sankranti Special

So we the kitchen divas decided that for this Saturday we must do a Sankranti Special. I knew that usually all across South India, pongal is made and in Karnataka Sankranti Ellu ( made of jaggery, chana dal, sesame and more) is very popular but somehow I wanted to make something else so I got chatting with my househelp on what is that they make during Sankranti and the first thing she said was “Obattu”, karnataka’s version of the Puran Poli of Maharashtra and I decided this is what I am gonna make. So here is wishing you all a very happy Sankrati/Pongal.

Recipe – Ubattu (Poran Poli)

Makes about 10

What I used

for  the outer cover

• 1 cup chiroti rawa
• 1/4 cup maida
• a pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup oil
• a few strands of kesar mixed with 1 tbsp of milk
• Water to knead
• ghee for frying

for the filling

• 1 cup channa dal
• 1 cup jaggery,grated
• 1/4 cup grated fresh coconut
• a pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp ghee
• 1/3 tsp elaichi powder

How I made it

• Mix chiroti rawa and maida with a pinch of salt to it, add the kesar soaked in water (this was my addition, my househelp said they add a pinch of turmeric) and water to it and knead to form a smooth dough. The consistency of the dough has to be soft, much softer than the regular roti dough, tighter than the pancake dough but much more liquid than the chapathi dough. My househelp tells me that a tighter dough will lead to tough obattu. Continue kneading the dough, you will need to knead the dough for another 5-6 minutes.
• Leave the dough to rest (my househelp insists in fridge) covered in the 1/4 oil, make sure the top is completely covered and let it rest for about 1-2 hours
• In the meanwhile boil the dal in just enough water till it is soft and mushy. When it is cool, mash it together with the rest of the filling ingredients. Keep aside
• After 2 hours, take out the dough and distribute in 10 equal sized balls. Roll each ball and add about 2 tsp of filling and roll again like a parantha. As the dough is very soft, it can be tough to roll, I use the ziploc technique that mom taught me. Cut a ziplog and roll the parantha in the center of the ziplog.
• Now using ghee fry both sides. Enjoy warm with a cup of tea

The “Ubattu (Poran Poli)” is part of the endeavor to create a collection of recipes of Traditional Indian Cuisines in collaboration with a few bloggers who share the same passion of cooking. Find more Traditional Recipes from Karnataka by #TheKichenDivas

1. Mysore Rasam by Saffron Trail (http://saffrontrail.blogspot.in/)

2. Pineapple Rawa Kesari by FunFoodFrolic (http://www.funfoodfrolic.com/)

3. Ellu Sadam by WhiskAffair (http://www.whiskaffair.com/)

4. Mangalorean Manoli Curry Recipe by Archana’s Kitchen (http://www.archanaskitchen.com)