Ugadhi Celebration with Obbattlu / Paruppu Poli

Wish you all a very Happy Ugadhi!! :)

'Yuga' means era and 'aadi' means start. So it marks the new year for the natives of Andhara pradesh and Karnataka. :)

Though I was born and brought up in Tamil Nadu more like a Tamil girl, I do have an ancestral origin of Andhra. Hence this day is a special day to me too. :)

The day started with oil bath, prayers to god and blessings from parents. Then we had the special Ugadhi Pachadi. I like the pachadi for the concept behind it.

The Pachadi is a mixture of six different tastes and it symbolizes the fact that life is a mixture of different experiences (sadness, happiness, anger, fear, disgust, surprise) , which should be accepted together and with equanimity.

Ugadhi Pachadi

Ugadhi Pachadi is a mixture of Neem flowers (for bitterness) , Raw Mango (for tang), Tamarind juice (for sourness), Chilly powder (for spice), Jaggery (for sweetness) and Salt (for saltiness).

It definitely has a very unpredictable taste. :)

And we made Obbattu(Paruppu Poli) and Mango Vada(fritters) as prasadam.

You can find the Mango Vada(Fritters) recipe here.

Obbattu / Paruppu Poli

Ingredients:
Maida- 1 1/4 cup
Salt - a pinch
Cooking soda - a pinch

For Filling:
Bengal gram dhall - 1 cup
Jaggery - 1 cup
Cardamom - 2 nos.

Method:

Take maida, salt and cooking soda in a bowl and mix well adding adequate water to it and make a smooth dough. It should be a little softer than chapthi dough. Now smear 2 tblsp of cooking oil on top of the dough and cover it with a plate. Keep it aside for 3 hours.

Cook bengal gram dhall in pressure pan. Now grind it along with jaggery and cardamom into a very thick paste. Now take a pan and add 2 tsp of ghee and the ground paste. Keep mixing it tell it becomes thick and well cooked. Once done, let it cool for a while and then roll out small balls of the filling.

Take a plastic coated paper/butter paper/Banana leaf and grease it with oil. Now take a small portion of the maida mixture and spread it with your fingers. Now place the filling ball in it and cover it nicely with the maida mixture. Once again flatten it well using your fingers into a round shape. Cook on hot tava until golden brown on both sides.

Obbattu is ready to eat. :)

Enjoy making :)

Written by: Nithya