Carrot Holige

Holige / Sweet Chapati /Poli / Pooran Poli is a sweet dish normally done during festival, feast and marriage functions. There are many types of holige and here is Carrot Holige, done with carrot gratings and jaggery stuffed inside. The outer layer is with wheat flour and maida mix.

Carrot Holige / Pooran Poli is easy to do and yummy to eat. It fits all age group and festival will be full of colours too.
Let us see the recipe

Things needed : 

To Stuff : We call it as Hoorana or Hoorna 

Carrots : 2 to 3
Jaggery :  2 Cups. /Powdered
Rava /Semolina : 1 Cup
Salt : A pinch

To Outer layer/ We call it as Kanaka 

Wheat flour : 1 1/2 Cups
Maida : 1/2 Cup
Salt : A pinch
Turmeric Powder : A little
Oil :  3 to 4 Tablespoons

Method :

1. In a big bowl add,  wheat flour, maida, salt and turmeric powder. Mix it nicely and add required water. Prepare the dove. The texture should be soft.

2. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of oil on the top and cover it. Leave the dough to rest for 1 hour.

3. Keep a big pan on the fire and put jaggery. Add 1/2 Cup of water and let jaggery melt completely.

4. Sieve the jaggery with siever and keep the clean jaggery aside.

5. Wash and grate carrots. Powder  6 to 8 cardamom and keep it aside.

6. Keep a pan on the fire and put cleaned jaggery. Let it get slightly thick.
7. Add grated carrots and mix it nicely. Add rava / semolina and mix it well. It starts to turn thick.

8. Add powdered cardamom. Put off the fire and shift the hoorana to a bowl. Let it cool.

9. Kneed the dough nicely and divide them in to small portions.

10. Take a small portion of the dough and spread a little by on your palm.
11. Now stuff 1 tablespoon of sweet carrot mixture and close the dough nicely bringing all the edge at the center.

12. Put little wheat flour in a big plate/bowl.
13. Now take stuffed dough and dip in dry flour and roll it slowly and make holige /round shape.

14. Keep tava on the fire and heat. Put holige on the tava and cook on both sides.

15. Holige is ready to serve.  Put ghee on the top just before serving.

16. Eating hot holige is such fun.

 Note :

The holige dough should be soft. Put oil at the end and then let it rest. Kneed the dough well. Do not put weight on roller while rolling holige. No need to use oil while rolling. Dip in dry flour and then roll it. Use of oil while preparing is optional. I have not used it.
Time : Mixing 10 Minutes + resting dough 1 hour + preparing 40 Minutes. 
Serves : 12 to 15 Holige can be prepared. 

Lady's Finger - Passion Fruit Curry

Lady's finger/bendekai/bendi/Okra is liked by many and disliked by many too. It has its own flavour and when cooked it leaves out the stick starch and people will dislike for this lady's finger's sticky content.

Lady's finger is very good vegetable and it is said that it helps in keeping your memory intact. It has very good fiber source and good for all age group. It has so much medicinal value and it helps to keep the diabetes away and control the blood sugar level in people who are already suffering from diabetes. It also helps people who suffer from constipation since it is rich in fiber.
Lady's finger brings me very good memory of Our Nigeria Life.
We lived in Nigeria during 1981 to 86. (My hubby spent almost 15 years in Africa). The state named Gangola. The capital city of Gangola is Yola. My hubby was a physics Lecturer there in one of the college. We had a nice two bedroom house in the College Compound. Most of the houses had boys quarters where the students family live and do house chores of the house they belonged to. The boys quarter which belong to teachers, was very close. I used to watch them cooking from our house. They normally cooked outside keeping three stones and put fire wood.
The food was normally cooked in the evening. They used to to cut Okra /Small size lady's finger,
put it to boiling water. Then pour semolina and mix it well. And also they used to add meat or fish straight into it. After some time the food is cooked and they do eat with their whole family. The food was so sticky we could see them pulling the food with their fingers.
That was indeed some good memory.
We Indians definitely won't like that sticky curry right? To remove the sticky content you need to fry bendi/lady's finger nicely, or cook them in tamarind pulp or microwave them with tomatoes. These steps really help to reduce or remove the stick content in the curry.
Coming back to my Lady's finger - Passion fruit curry it is simple and if you don't get passion fruit not to worry. Add some lemon instead of passion fruit. It taste almost the same.
Let us see the recipe now :

Things Needed :

Lady's Finger /Bendekai/ Bendi : 10 to 12 or more
Carrots : 2 (medium sized).
Curry Powder : 2 Tablespoons
Tomatoes : 2 to 3
Jaggery : 1 Teaspoon
Passion fruit : 1
Oil : 1 Tablespoon
Seasoning :
Cooking Oil : 1 Teaspoon
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Tsp
Ingh : A pinch
Curry Leaves : 5 to 6

Method ;

1. Wash and wipe out the moisture completely from Lady's finger. Cut and keep it aside.

2. Wash carrots, scrape out the outer layer slightly and cut them into long pieces.
3. Wash and cut tomatoes and keep it aside. Cut passion fruit and sieve the juice from it. Keep it aside.

4. Keep a pan on the fire and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Put 2 to 3 seeds of methi seeds.
5. Add Lady's finger and fry till they turn soft.

6. Keep a pan on the fire and add little oil. Add mustard seeds and let it splutter, add ingh and curry leaves.
7. Add cut tomatoes and fry for a minute. Add carrots and stir. Add a glass of water and let carrots cook for 5 minutes.

8. Check that carrots are soft. Add fried lady's finger and stir slowly. Add salt
9. Add passion fruit juice to the curry and mix it slowly.
10. Add very little jaggery. (Optional) . Add sambar powder.

12. Let the curry boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Shift to the serving dish and serve with the main dish you have prepared.

Note :

If do not get passion fruit add lemon extract. / One lemon extract will serve the purpose.
Adding any brand of sambar powder is optional. I have added home prepared sambar powder.
Adding more tomatoes or carrots is optional.
Time : 30 Minutes.
Serves : 2 to 3.