Obbattu: The King of Karnataka Sweets
Obbattu (also called holige, puran poli, or boli) is the undisputed king of Karnataka festive sweets. No Ugadi, Ganesh Chaturthi, or Brahmin wedding is complete without freshly made obbattu served warm with a generous drizzle of ghee.
What is Obbattu?
Obbattu is a sweet stuffed flatbread. The outer layer is made from **maida (refined flour)** mixed with a small amount of oil and turmeric. The filling is a sweet paste made from **chana dal** (Bengal gram) cooked with **jaggery** (or sugar) and flavoured with cardamom and sometimes saffron.
The art lies in rolling the dough paper-thin around the sweet filling without it breaking — a skill that takes years to master.
How It's Made
1. **Prepare the filling**: Cook chana dal until soft, drain, and grind with jaggery. Add cardamom powder, a pinch of saffron, and a tablespoon of ghee. Cool completely.
2. **Make the dough**: Mix maida with a little oil, turmeric, and warm water. Knead until soft and elastic. Rest for 30 minutes.
3. **Assemble**: Take a small ball of dough, flatten it, place a ball of filling in the centre, seal, and gently roll out paper-thin using oil on the surface.
4. **Cook**: Place on a hot griddle (tawa), cook on both sides with ghee until golden brown spots appear.
5. **Serve**: Hot, drizzled with warm ghee. Some families serve it with a glass of cold milk.
When is Obbattu Made?
Ugadi: (Kannada New Year) — always
Ganesh Chaturthi: — always
Weddings: — essential part of the feast
Varamahalakshmi: — traditional offering
Thread ceremony: — ritual food
Any auspicious occasion: in a Brahmin household
Obbattu at Shastrys Cafe
During festival seasons, Shastrys Cafe prepares fresh obbattu following the traditional recipe — hand-rolled, cooked with pure ghee, served warm. Available at ₹25 per piece.
Visit us at NTI Layout, Kodigehalli, Bangalore.
