Sweet Boli

As pongal is nearing by we all are getting geared up for celebrating this. Even though most of us are living outside our country the spirit of celebrating festival is always there. Oh I so much miss India during these festivals. My in-laws live in a beautiful village in tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu and being a farmer family celebrate this festival with all the customs and traditions. My MIL makes so beautiful and large kolams and I always stand on one side doing nothing else but admiring her. So much ever I try I can never master this art of kolam :(

The first day of pongal is known as bhogi pongal and is a day marked for family get together. Boli is made this day to celebrate the festival.

This is my MIL's recipe and is very much cherished by us.

Ingredients:

Chana Daal - 1 cup

Sugar - 1 cup

Maida - 1 cup

Water - little less than 1/2 cup for making the dough

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Rice flour - for dusting

Yellow food colour - a pinch (optional)

Sesame oil - 3 tbsp

Ghee - for shallow frying the boli

Procedure:

• Soak chana daal in water for 2 hrs. Drain and wash 3-4 times.
• Cook daal in an open vessel adding just enough water so that the daal gets cooked but does not loose its shape.
• After the daal is cooked add in sugar and stir till sugar melts. Off the gas and keep the mixture to cool.
• Once the mixture is cooled grind it nicely without adding any water in a smooth paste.
• Cook this mixture in a kadhai till it thickens and then add cardamom powder. Keep to cool.
• For the dough mix maida and colour and knead with lot of water(around 1/2 cup) so that dough gets really sticky. Don't get scared it will be really very gooey.
• Then in the end keep adding sesame oil little by little so that dough absorbs all the oil and does not stick much in the hand.
• Let the dough rest for 6-7 hrs.
• After the dough has rested take lemon sized ball and with the help of rice flour make a small roti and stuff with lemon sized ball of chana daal.
• Close the ball and roll again as thin as possible.
• Fry in tava with some ghee till light brown specks appear and serve hot or cold.

My MIL serves this with a big dollop of ghee. So just do some extra exercise and enjoy this sweet boli.

The chana daal mixture can even be stuffed inside normal whole wheat roti to avoid the extra calories.

Sending this to Kurinji's Pongal Feast Event.