Yugaadi and Holige-Rasaayana

HoLige with Maavina haNNina rasaayana


HoLige-tuppa,sautekaayi kosambari, beans palya, anna-nimbe saaru, maavinakaayi chitraanna, Maavina haNNina rasaayana in a bowl and a spoonful of Yugaadi bevu-bella

I make hiTTina hoLige at least once a year and for sure on Yugaadi, so as to start the new year on a sweet note and to keep the tradition alive!. Another traditional item for Yugaadi is the 'bevu-bella'. Though translating it would mean just 'neem-jaggery', it constitutes of all the six tastes(sweet, bitter, sour, heat, salty and bland) as it is a mixture of jaggery pieces, chopped neem leaves and flowers, diced raw mango, chopped green chillies, salt and roasted split chana dal(dalia or puTaaNi). Offered to God as 'naivedya' and eaten as 'prasaada' it signifies that Life is made of all kinds of moments, and that we should all be prepared to face joys,sorrows and all else with equal strength. Read more about Yugaadi here and here. Wishing you all a wonderful year ahead! Happy Yugaadi!!

HoLige's are many in variety. It basically consists of a sweet filling(hoorNa) stuffed inside maida(all purpose flour)(kaNike), rolled out like a chapati/tortilla and pan fried. The filling may be a mixture of either chana dal, tuvar dal, coconut, groundnuts, sweet potato etc., with jaggery or dates too...Sounds simple? But it is a knack that needs mastering. The trick lies in keeping the consistency of the filling just right. It should be neither too stiff nor too soft. The hoLige that I have described here is a South Kanara speciality. It is called as hiTTina hoLige. Hittu means flour. Maybe it is named so, cos of the process involved. Usually hoLiges are rolled out on oiled surfaces and oil/ghee is used while frying them too... but in this case, it is rolled out just like chapati, using flour and no oil/ghee is used while frying it on the tawa. So it is a totally fat(guilt)free dish ;-) . Enjoy it with either ghee or mango rasaayana or kaayi haalu(sweetened coconut milk).

Ingredients for Hittina HoLige:

For hoorNa(filling):
2 cups kadle beLe(bengal gram/chana dal)
2 cup sugar or brown sugar or powdered jaggery
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
A pinch of powdered Jaaikaayi(Nutmeg)

For kaNike(covering):
1 1/2 cup maida(all purpose flour)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
A pinch of salt
1 1/2 cup Oil

Method:

For kaNike(covering):
1. Sift together maida, turmeric and salt in a bowl.
2. Add enough water and knead into a soft dough. As the dough comes together, add 2-3 teaspoons of oil and roll into a soft ball. The dough should be thinner than chapati dough. When you make a ball out of it, it should not stand stiff, but should tend to flatten on its own.
3. Cover the dough in oil and let it rest for at least 1/2 an hour. Making the kaNike first will give it more than enough resting time, by the time the hoorNa is ready.
4. If used correctly, this will yield enough covering for 25 hoLiges. You can divide the dough into 25 parts and keep or pinch out as you go. Even if you divide beforehand, the dough will stick back together as it is not a stiff kinda dough. So, you be the judge.


kaNike and hoorNa

For hoorNa(filling):
1. Wash and soak the chana dal in water overnight.
2. Drain all the water and cook in pressure cooker, using just enough water to cover the dal.
3. Once cool, remove and drain any water remaining. You can reserve this dal water to make hoLige saaru, but I use very less water which would have all evaporated. And in any case, chana dal water is not as good as tuvar dal water for hoLige saaru. Grind the dal in a mixer to form a fine paste. Do not add water.
4. Put the dal paste in a heavy bottomed vessel. Add the sugar/jaggery. Mix well and keep stirring on a low flame. This is the toughest part of making hoLige. You have to take care not to burn the paste. It tends to stick to the bottom of the pan. So, you have to keep stirring it. You will need to do this for about 45 minutes on medium-low heat to achieve the right consistency.
5. Add the cardamom and nutmeg powders and mix well. The hoorNa is now ready.
6. Once cool enough to handle, divide the hoorNa into 25 equal parts and smoothen them into ovals.

Putting it together:
1. Flatten out a ball of kaNike in the oiled palm of your hand. Place the hoorNa in the center of the kaNike and cover on all sides pressing the hoorNa into the kaNike. Roll in both your palms to make a smooth flat ball.




2. Dust the surface with maida and roll out the stuffed ball like a chapati, using more flour as required.



3. Roast evenly on a hot tawa, turning once in between, until light brown spots appear on both sides. Fold in half and keep on a sheet of paper to cool down.




4. When fully cooled, store in an air tight container. Keeps upto 15 days. Enjoy with kaayi haalu or maava haNNina rasaayana or with plain ghee.