Palya Bun(Potato Bun)

Preparation Time - ~2 hrs
Cook Time - 30-40 mins
Makes - 12 buns

Measurements & Ingredients:

• All purpose flour - 2 cups + 1 cup
• Sunflower oil/vegetable oil - 3 tbspn + 2 tbsp
• Sugar - 2 tsp
• Active dry yeast - 2 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Plain yogurt - 2 tbsp
• 5 medium sized potatoes boiled and mashed
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Black gram(urad dal) - 1 tsp
• Bengal gram(channa dal) - 1 tsp
• Asafoetida(hing) - a pinch
• Curry leaves - 5-7 leaves
• Green chillies - 4 spicy
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Method:

For the Bun:

Warm 1/4 cup of water until luke warm.  To this add active dry yeast, sugar and 3 tbsp oil.  Mix gently, cover and let it for 10 mins.  Now the mixture would have doubled in quantity with a nice
foam.  Gently mix it. 

Meanwhile add salt to 2 cups of all purpose flour and mix.  To this add the yeast mixture in small quantities and mix to make a sticky dough.  After adding all the yeast mixture add the plain yogurt and make a dough which will be very sticky in consistency. 


Smear your forefingers with some cooking oil and coat the sticky dough with oil.  Cover this dough with a wet cloth or wet paper towel(make sure all the water is squeezed out of the paper towel/cloth before covering the dough).  Let it sit in a warm place for an hour.  If the room temperature is not warm enough, place the bowl in the oven with the oven light on.  Do not turn on the oven. 


Meanwhile heat a pan, add 2 tbsp oil.  Once the oil is hot add mustard seeds, bengal gram, black gram, curry leaves, hing, green chillies, turmeric powder and then the mashed potatoes. 


Mix well, add salt and mix.  Leave it for a couple of mins for the flavor to blend.  Switch off the stove and let it completely cool.  Then make 12 equal parts of this mixture and keep it aside.



After an hour of the dough rising, take it out.  Add some all purpose flour in small quantities and knead the sticky dough until it becomes a soft but non sticky dough. 





It may take 10 mins for the kneading the sticky dough with extra all purpose flour to make it non sticky.  Once you get a nice ball, divide the dough into 12 equal parts.  Make round balls out of the 12 parts. 






Take a round ball, spread it flat with your forefingers either on a flat surface or the palm of your other hand.  Now place the potato mixture on this flattened dough and cover the potato mixture with the dough by making sure the potato mixture is all covered.



Smear the foil with some oil and place all the potato stuffed balls on the foil with enough gap between each because the balls will rise in size.  Now cover the potato stuffed balls with a wet paper towel or a wet napkin and let it sit in a warm place for 45-40 mins. 

Now preheat the oven at 375 degree F.  Coat/brush the potato stuffed balls with some butter. Once the oven is preheated bake it for 20 mins then flip the buns over and bake it for another 10 mins. 

Finally take it out of the oven and serve hot with chai!






Note:

I added yogurt to make the buns nice and soft.  You could skip it for any reasons.  The difference would be in the softness alone and not the taste.

Besan Unde(Besan ladoo or chickpea flour sweet balls)

Preparation Time - 5-10 mins
Cook Time - ~1.5 hrs
Makes - 10-15 ladoos

Measurements & Ingredients:

• Kadale hittu(Besan or chickpea flour) - 2 cups
• Sugar - 2 cups
• Ghee(clarified butter) - 1.5 cups
• Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
• Cashew nuts - 2 tbspn
• Raisins - 2 tbspn

Method:
In a pan(preferably non
stick or a heavy bottom
pan) add the besan and 
dry fry on a very low
flame/heat until the
raw smell of the besan
is gone and it turns
light pink or
light brown.  This may take 45 mins on a heat of 2-3(10 being the highest).  You can make out the color difference between raw besan and the fried one. 


Now add 1 and 1/4 cup melted ghee and mix well as the heat is on.  Fry this mixture for another 10-15 mins on the same heat.   






The mixture at this
point will be like a
paste. 










Keep stirring on the
same heat and you
will notice all the
ghee being abosrbed
and it will become less watery.  Do not add sugar at this point.  



Switch off the heat
and let it cool until
cold.  Once the mixture is cooled completely, add cardamom powder, fried cashwe nuts and rasins, and the sugar. 







Mix well.  Since you add sugar now, the mixture will be solidified and no more will be like a paste.  If you feel you need to add more ghee add in the remaining 1/4 cup ghee and mix well. 

Now make round balls. 
Store them and enjoy as you need!




Note:
1. If your sugar is granular, you will have to powder the sugar before adding. 
2. Make sure to add sugar only after the besan mixture is completely cooled, else the heat in the mixture will disolve the sugar and the entire mixture will become a paste.
3. Make pieces of the cashew nuts and raisins to avoid breakage when forming the balls.

Holige(Obbattu/Puran Poli)

Preparation Time - 4 hrs
Cook Time - 1 hr
Makes - 20 holiges

Measurements & Ingredients:

For the Hoorna or stuffing

• Kadale bele(channa dal) - 3 cups soaked in water over night
• Togari bele(Toor dal) - 1/2 cup(Optional)need not soak in water
• Bella(Jaggery) - ~2.5 - 3 cups
• Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
• Dry grated coconut - 1 cup(optional)
• Oil - 4-5 tbspn

For the Kanaka or dough

• Maida(all purpose flour) - 3/4 cup
• Chiroti rave(Fine sooji) - 1 cup
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Oil - 1/2 - 1 cup

Method:

For the hoorna or pooran or stuffing:
Boil the channa dal in a pressure cooker for upto 3 whistles with just enough water to soak the dal.  Do not add too much water.

Once the pressure is off, drain out the water and let it completely drain for about 15 mins.  Or spread it on a kitchen paper towel so that the extra water gets drained. 

After it is cooled, grind it into a paste without adding any water.  While making the paste, add the jaggery and dry coconut. 


In a heavy bottom pan heat the oil and add the dal and jaggery paste and stir it occasionally.  Add the cardamom powder and a pinch
of salt.  The flame has to be on low medium to avoid burnt hoorna.  Initially it will be a little watery because of the jaggery melting, but after 20-30 mins you can notice the hoorna will start getting thicker. 

The right consistency is when you wet your hands you must be able to make a ball with the hoorna.  Turn off the heat now and let it cool completely.  You can make a big lemon size ball out of the hoorna and keep it aside.






For the kanaka or dough:


Mix the chiroti rave, maida, turmeric powder and salt. 







Add water in small quantities and make a dough like the chapathi dough.  Pour enough water to submerge the dough.  Leave the dough submerged in water for 3 hours. 




After 3 hours pour out the water and add add 3/4 - 1 cup of oil and knead the dough well for 3-4 mins.  Let this dough sit for about an hour.





By the end of the hour knead the dough for a min.  When you take a part of the dough you will see it as an elastic dough which is how it should be.  It will not be like the chapathi dough(firm when you take a part of the dough).





Making the holige or puran poli

Take a small part of the dough (half of the size of the hoorna ball) flatten it on your palm.  Take the hoorna or stuffing and place it on the flattened kanaka. 





Cover the hoorna with the kanaka and make sure the entire hoorna is sealed well with the kanaka.

Dip this ball in maida or wheat flour and
gently start rolling it out like for aloo
paratha or chapathi.
Dust some flour if needed but not too much.  Make it as thin as possible without tearing the kanaka open and the hoorna sticking out. 



Put this flattened
holige
on a heated griddle
and cook it with oil on both the sides until
both the sides are cooked with a nice
golden brown color. 


Enjoy it warm with a
dollop of ghee!





Notes:

1. I used a non stick pan for the hoorna for the reason that it will not stick to the pan.

2. By adding a pinch of salt to the hoorna it enhances the taste of sweetness!!  You may skip this since it is optional.

3. I used a grinder to make the paste for the hoorna because if a blender is used we will have to add water to make a paste as it will not blend without water.  But if you have an Indian mixer that works fine too.  The hoorna will be done well if no water is added.

4. I used chiroti rave and maida whereas I know that some people use only wheat flour for the dough.  I felt that the taste of chiroti rave with maida is better when compared to wheat flour.

5. Do not worry to submerge the dough in water.  It will not dissolve or get spoilt.  It will make the dough soft.  Earlier my mom used to soak the entire dough in oil to make it soft, but now I am soaking it in water to reduce the oil usage and trust me the result is the same softness. 

6. I roll the holige with a rolling pin but it is up to you if you want to flatten using your forefingers, in that case do not dip it in the flour instead you have to smear your forefingers with some oil frequently.

7. The thinner holige the better will be the taste, however make sure not to tear it :)