Holige Saaru Recipe / Ugadi Recipes / Obbattu Saaru Recipe ~ Ugadi Special

UGADI PREPARATIONS IN FULL SWING...

Dear friends, Ugadi is just a day away, so the festive fervour has reached it's crescendo in my home. All the silverware, copperware & brassware are out, polished and shinning, ready to be part of the celebratory rituals, the day after tomorrow. New clothes are being paired with bangles, neckpieces and bindis, even nail paints, to get the right match, in time to be donned on the festive day. Few friends will be visiting today, tomorrow and offcourse on the day of Ugadi, there will be lots of friends coming over to share with us the festivities. Overall there is not a single dull moment in my home. Lots of things happening in all sections, but as usual the prime activity is totally kitchen centric. The whole house is being flooded with the aroma of ghee, which my mum-in-law is smearing  lavishly over the bobbatlu or Indian flatbread stuffed with spiced fragrant lentil and jaggery paste, which she is dishing out one after the other, making my taste buds dance with glee. I simply loooovvveee this festive fervour and eagerly wait for it.

KNOW WHAT IS HOLIGE SAARU...

I just mentioned that Mum-in-law is making Bobbatlu and with its left over filling, I will be making a Karnataka style dish called Holige Saaru which is also called Obbattu Saaru because it is made from the left over filling of Obbattu ( Bobbatlu is called Obbattu in Karnataka). This will be my addition & my third recipe to Mum-In-Laws Ugadi feast. So I will get down to sharing with you this recipe straight away and will keep all my stories to this for today. Saaru is similar to Rasam or a soupy dish from the South Indian State of Karnataka. Made with lentils, Saaru generally includes tomatoes, tamarind etc. with a homemade indegeous masala or spice powder or paste, comprising of coriander, cumin, fenugreek seeds etc. which is basically the soul of the Saaru as it adds all the flavour punch that makes the Saaru so appetizing. Finally the Saaru is finished cooking with a very aromatic tempering comprising mainly asafoetida, mustard seeds, curry leaves & dry red chillies generally. Saaru is generally eaten with steamed rice, served piping hot with a lavish sprinkle of ghee or clarified butter on top. Now let's get to the recipe.

HOLIGE SAARU RECIPE / OBBATTU SAARU RECIPE ~

SERVES ~ 4
CUISINE ~ INDIAN / KARNATAKA / SOUTH INDIAN
TYPE ~ SIDE DISH
TIME ~ 15 MINUTES PREPARATION + 20 MINUTES COOKING

INGREDIENTS ~

FOR THE SPECIAL SAARU MASALA ~

1) 1 Tsp Oil or Ghee
2) 1/8 Tsp or 20 ~25 Fenugreek Seeds / Methi Dana
3) 2 Tsp Coriander Seeds
4) 1/2 Tsp Cumin Seeds
5) 3~4 Dry Red Chillies ( Use more or less according to taste )
6) 1/2 Tsp Poppy Seeds / Khas Khas
7) 1/4 th Cup Dry Coconut , grated
8) 1 small Onion , chopped ( approximately 3 Tbsp )
9) 1 Sprig Curry Leaves
10) 1 Small Tomato, chopped ( approximately 3 Tbsp )
11) 1 Tbsp Fresh Coriander Leaves, chopped

FOR HOORNA (THE FILLING USED IN OBBATTU / FLAT INDIAN BREAD WITH A SWEET LENTIL FILLING )

1) 3/4 Cup Split skinned Pigeon Pea / Toor Dal
2) 1/2 Cup Jaggery Powder
3) 1/4 Tsp Green Cardamom Powder
4) 1/4 Tsp Nutmeg Powder

FOR TEMPERING ~

1) 2 Tsp Oil or Ghee
2) 2 Tsp Mustard Seeds
3) 2 Pinches Asafoetida / Hing ( I have used gluten free asafoetida powder )
4) 1 ~ 2 Sprig Curry leaves

FOR HOLIGE SAARU ~

1) 2 Cups Liquid of Cooked Split, skinned Pigeon Pea / Toor Dal
2) 1 Lemon size Tamarind Pulp
3) 1/2 Tbsp Jaggery Powder
4) 1/4 Tsp Turmeric Powder
5) 1 Tbsp Hoorna Paste
6) Salt to taste
7) 2 Tbsp Fresh Coriander Leaves , chopped
8) 2 Cups Water

COOK WITH ME IN EASY STEPS ~

TO PREPARE HOORNA PASTE AND SPLIT SKINNED PIGEON PEA LIQUID ~

1) Wash the Pigeon Pea thoroughly. In a pressure cooker cover the pigeon pea with 2 1/2 Cups water and cook completely. ( NOTE ~ It takes 5 ~ 6 whistles approximately to cook the Pigeon Pea completely, but may differ from pressure cooker to pressure cooker. Alternately you can cook the pigeon pea in a deep pan. In this case soak the pigeon pea covered with water, at least for an hour and use 4 cups of water to cook it. We will need the residual water of the cooked pigeon pea for our Saaru, at least 2 Cups of it, so add more water. )

2) Once cooked using a strainer separate the water and the cooked pigeon pea. We will require the water for our Saaru. Smash the cooked pigeon pea using a smasher to a smooth paste.

3) In a frying pan add the pigeon pea paste , jaggery and mix well. Allow the jaggery to melt and incorporate totally with the pigeon pea paste.

• Now sprinkle cardamom powder and mix well.
• Next add Nutmeg powder. Mix well and remove the pan from the burner. Your Hoorna is ready. ( NOTE ~ You will be requiring only 1 Tbsp of Hoorna for your Holige Saaru. THe remaining you can use to make Obbattu / Bobattlu / Puran Poli / Indian Flat bread with a sweet lentil filling or refrigerate the hoorna paste and use it again to make Holige Saaru )

TO PREPARE THE SPECIAL SAARU MASALA ~

1) In a frying pan, add 1/2 Tsp oil. When hot, add fenugreek seeds. Let the fenugreek seeds crackle.

• Add dry red chillies, coriander seeds and cumin seeds and roast them till fragrant and till they change colour.
• Add the poppy seeds now. Roast for a couple of seconds.
• Add the grated dry coconut.  
• Roast for 5 ~ 10 seconds. The coconut should not change colour. Transfer the contents into a plate and allow it to cool.

2) In the same frying pan add the remaining 1/2 Tsp oil. When hot add curry leaves and fry them.

• Now add the onions and fry them till they change colour. 
• Add the coriander leaves.
• Next add the chopped tomato.
• Fry till the tomatoes become soft. Remove the frying pan from the burner and transfer the contents into a plate and allow it to cool.

3) Take the roasted ingredients from Step 1, which would have cooled by now, in a grinder and grind to a coarse powder.

• After the fried ingredients from Step 2 have cooled, add them into the same grinder, without removing the ground coarse powder. 
• Grind everything into a smooth paste. Add 1 or 2 Tbsp of water as required to grind into a smooth paste. Your Special Saaru masala is ready.

TO PREPARE THE HOLIGE SAARU ~

1) Take a deep bottom pan. Add 2 Tsp oil, when hot add mustard seeds and let it crackle.

• Add asafoetida / hing.
• Immediately add curry leaves. 

2) When the curry leaves are fried add the Special Saaru Masala.

• Next add tamarind pulp, turmeric powder and mix well.
• Now add the residual water from the boiled pigeon pea. Mix and stir and incorporate everything in the pan well.

3) Add the jaggery powder or chunks. Allow the jaggery to melt and mix totally into the Saaru.

• Now add the Hoorna Paste. 
• Mix it well into the liquid in the pan. Add salt and mix well.

4) Finally add the chopped coriander leaves and bring the contents of your pan to a rolling boil.

• Remove the pan from the burner. You fragrant and delicious Holige Saaru is ready. ( NOTE ~ The colour of the Holige Saaru will differ depending on the type of dry red chilli used or turmeric powder used. )

Serve Holige / Obbattu Saaru with piping hot rice and a lavish sprinkle of ghee on top.

PICTORIAL STEP BY STEP PROCEDURE OF PREPARING HOLIGE SAARU / OBBATTU SAARU ~

TO PREPARE HOORNA PASTE AND SPLIT SKINNED PIGEON PEA LIQUID ~

1) Wash the Pigeon Pea thoroughly. In a pressure cooker cover the pigeon pea with 2 1/2 Cups water and cook completely. ( NOTE ~ It takes 5 ~ 6 whistles approximately to cook the Pigeon Pea completely, but may differ from pressure cooker to pressure cooker. Alternately you can cook the pigeon pea in a deep pan. In this case soak the pigeon pea covered with water, at least for an hour and use 4 cups of water to cook it. We will need the residual water of the cooked pigeon pea for our Saaru, at least 2 Cups of it, so add more water. )

2) Once cooked using a strainer separate the water and the cooked pigeon pea. We will require the water for our Saaru. Smash the cooked pigeon pea using a smasher to a smooth paste.

3) In a frying pan add the pigeon pea paste , jaggery and mix well. Allow the jaggery to melt and incorporate totally with the pigeon pea paste.

• Now sprinkle cardamom powder and mix well.

• Next add Nutmeg powder. Mix well and remove the pan from the burner. Your Hoorna is ready. ( NOTE ~ You will be requiring only 1 Tbsp of Hoorna for your Holige Saaru. THe remaining you can use to make Obbattu / Bobattlu / Puran Poli / Indian Flat bread with a sweet lentil filling or refrigerate the hoorna paste and use it again to make Holige Saaru )

TO PREPARE THE SPECIAL SAARU MASALA ~

1) In a frying pan, add 1/2 Tsp oil. When hot, add fenugreek seeds. Let the fenugreek seeds crackle.

• Add dry red chillies, coriander seeds and cumin seeds and roast them till fragrant and till they change colour.

• Add the poppy seeds now. Roast for a couple of seconds.

• Add the grated dry coconut. 

• Roast for 5 ~ 10 seconds. The coconut should not change colour. Transfer the contents into a plate and allow it to cool.

2) In the same frying pan add the remaining 1/2 Tsp oil. When hot add curry leaves and fry them.

• Now add the onions and fry them till they change colour. 

• Add the coriander leaves.

• Next add the chopped tomato.  

• Fry till the tomatoes become soft. Remove the frying pan from the burner and transfer the contents into a plate and allow it to cool.

3) Take the roasted ingredients from Step 1, which would have cooled by now, in a grinder and grind to a coarse powder.

• After the fried ingredients from Step 2 have cooled, add them into the same grinder, without removing the ground coarse powder. 

• Grind everything into a smooth paste. Add 1 or 2 Tbsp of water as required to grind into a smooth paste. Your Special Saaru masala is ready.

TO PREPARE THE HOLIGE SAARU ~

1) Take a deep bottom pan. Add 2 Tsp oil, when hot add mustard seeds and let it crackle.

• Add asafoetida / hing.

• Immediately add curry leaves. 

2) When the curry leaves are fried add the Special Saaru Masala.

• Next add tamarind pulp, turmeric powder and mix well.

• Now add the residual water from the boiled pigeon pea. Mix and stir and incorporate everything in the pan well.

3) Add the jaggery powder or chunks. Allow the jaggery to melt and mix totally into the Saaru.

• Now add the Hoorna Paste. 

• Mix it well into the liquid in the pan. Add salt and mix well.

4) Finally add the chopped coriander leaves and bring the contents of your pan to a rolling boil.

• Remove the pan from the burner. You fragrant and delicious Holige Saaru is ready. ( NOTE ~ The colour of the Holige Saaru will differ depending on the type of dry red chilli used or turmeric powder used. )

Serve Holige / Obbattu Saaru with piping hot rice and a lavish sprinkle of ghee on top. This dish is usually prepared during festivals, when after preparing Obbattu the Hoorna paste is left behind. But you can prepare it whenever you wish and even without preparing Obbattu, as this delicious Saaru will make its way onto your plate time and again from now on, I am sure.

REFERENCES ~

SOUTH INDIAN VEG RECIPES

MY SCRAWLS