Holige: Varamahalakshmi Special Recipe

It's the Varamahalakshmi puja today. This puja is dedicated to the Goddess of wealth, Lakshmi. It is an important festival for the women of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The speciality of this festival is that only married women can perform the puja. It is observed for the well being and prosperity of the family. Since this is an Indian festival, it is needless to say that food is also one of the main part of the celebration. So, here we have a special recipe for you, which is prepared on this auspicious occasion.

Holige is a special sweet recipe prepared on Varamahalakshmi puja. It is very famous in the states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Goa. Holige is a flat bread stuffed with the yummy filling of sweetened dal and jaggery. Some people also add shredded coconut to make the filling even more delicious. This sweet recipe is especially prepared during the occasions of Ugadi, Varamahalakshmi and Diwali.

So, check out this Varamahalakshmi special recipe, Holige and enjoy a sumptuous sweet treat with your family.

Serves: 8
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the dough

• All purpose flour- 1½ cup
• Turmeric powder- ½ tsp
• Oil- 1tbsp
• Milk- 2tbsp
• Water- ½ cup
• Salt-as per taste

For the filling

• Chana dal (Bengal gram)- 1 cup
• Jaggery- 1 cup
• Cardamom- 7 pods (finely powdered)

Procedure

1. Mix all the ingredients listed for the dough and knead a semi-soft dough with water. Keep it aside.
2. Wash the dal with water and pressure cook it with half a cup of water on medium heat. Wait for 2 whistles. Switch off the flame and let it cool down.
3. Make sure that the dal doesn't turn into a paste.
4. Drain the excess water from the dal and add jaggery to it.
5. Heat a pan and pour this dal and jaggery into it. Simmer for about 5-6 minutes till the jaggery melts completely and the mixture turns dry.
6. Add the powdered cardamoms. Mix well and switch off the flame.
7. Mash the dal with a spatula and allow this filling to cool down completely.
8. Now divide the dough into 8 equal sized balls.
9. Grease your palms with little oil. Take one ball of the dough and flatten it on your palm.
10. Place one tablespoon of the filling in the centre and close all the sides and seal it firmly.
11. Now dust the surface with a little flour and gently roll out thin chapatis. Make sure that the filling does not come out.
12. Roast the holige on a tawa with oil on both the sides till each side turns golden brown.
13. Once done, transfer the holige on a plate.
14. Repeat the same procedure with the rest of the balls to make more holige.

You can serve holige with a dollop of butter on the top. You can store holige for upto 3-4 days.