Traditional Andhra Style Sweet Bobattu

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Bobattu a traditional sweet roti also known as obbattu, puran poli is the perfect traditional dessert served during festival times in andhra with pulihora (tamarind rice) make a best combination of sweet and sour tastes blending with one another.

I never realized this combination until my MIL used to prepare this for my hubby. Bobbatu is served with a little serving of ghee and pulihora in my home and it tastes so divine.

My MIL prepares the best traditional andhra style dishes like bobattu, pulihora, pessarattu ... in my home and I would rate this as one of her best. So here is the recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup chana dal
• 2 cups maida
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cardamom powder
• 1/2 cup oil

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In a bowl mix the maida with water to a smooth dough and the poke some holes in it with your fingers and pour the oil over it ,let maida soak in oil for 3 hrs .

Soak the chana dal for 30 min before cooking .Pressure cook the dal along with 3 cups water for 3 whistles and switch of the flame .After it cools open the pressure cooker and stain the water from dal completely .

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In a blender make a smooth paste of sugar and dal.Heat a broad open pan and put this paste and stir continuously till this paste start to caramelize.Transfer the whole mixture to a plate ,keep aside and let it cool.After the dal mixture cools ,divide the total paste to large lemon size balls .

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Divide the the dough into small lemon size balls. Spread it flat into a small circle and place the sweet dal mixture in the center and enclose it. Then put on a greased plasic sheet and pat it nicely to form a nice circular shape.

Heat the tawa and place the each piece till golden brown on each side.

Serve hot with ghee and tamarind rice.

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THE ULTIMATE POPOVER

I have been playing around with popover recipes for a while now, so I thought I would "get serious" and buy a popover pan. The pan makes a huge difference, not so much in the taste, but in appearance and how big the air bubbles are inside of the popover. These popovers could not be easier or cheaper to make, and they are such a treat, hot out of the oven with honey butter or strawberry jam!! If you do not have a popover pan, see note at the end of this post.

This recipe is fool proof as long as you follow it closely. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. I put my popover pan in the oven while it preheats (do not grease before you preheat).
While your oven/pan is preheating, whisk together:
3 eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup of milk (see note)1 tablespoon melted butter

NOTE: If I have whipping cream, I put about ¼ cup of whipping cream in a measuring cup and then fill the rest of the way with 2% milk...if I have no cream on hand, I just use 1 cup of 2% milk).

After the above ingredients are whisked together well, add one cup of all purpose flour (spoon flour into measuring measuring cup and level off with straight edge). Whisk everything together for about 30 seconds or until it looks very smooth & creamy.

Take the popover pan out of the hot oven and spray each cup with vegetable spray. Put a small chunk of chilled butter (roughly ½ teaspoon but the exact size is not crucial) into the bottom of each hot cup. Fill each cup half way full (makes six big popovers).

Bake popovers at 425 for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the oven down to 325 and bake for another 15 minutes. Remove popovers from pan and poke a tiny hole (I use a toothpick) in the bottom of each popover to relieve a little steam (not totally necessary if you are going to eat them right away).

NOTE: If you do not have a popover pan, you can use 6 ounce (oven safe) custard cups (I used the clear Pyrex ones, for a long time, with great success). I placed them all on a cookie sheet for easier handling. The popovers will not get quite as tall (as they do with a popover pan) but they taste every bit as good.

Someone from outside the USA wrote and asked me what a popover pan was, so here is a photo. As you can see, it is almost like a cupcake pan, but the cups are a lot deeper and spaced far apart so the hot air can circulate around each cup.

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Aromatic Aloo Methi Curry

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Baby potatoes are cooked with fresh fenugreek leaves along with some aromatic spices which make this dish very exotic and very ideal when you have guests at home. The special twist of this preparation is using crushed spices which give it a unique taste.

Ingredients

• 2 cups baby potatos
• 1 cup chopped fresh fenugreek leaves (methi)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
• 4 cloves garlic
• 6-7 whole black pepper
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• pinch of sugar
• salt to taste

Cooking Procedure

Boil the baby pototoes in pressure cooker for 3 whistles after it cools peel it and keep aside

Crush the garlic, cumin and black pepper to a fine paste and keep aside.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan, add the boiled potatoes and shallow fry till its golden brown

Heat oil and butter in pan, add cumin seeds once it splutter add the crushed above paste and then fry for 30 seconds, then add onion and fry till it slightly translucent or golden brown.

Add the tomatoes, coriander powder,red chilli,sugar and salt and cook till oil begins to saturates

Now add the potatoes and mix nicely, then add the chopped methi leaves and let it cook for 5 to 10 min

Add the chopped coriander leaves and let it cook for 2-3 min.

You curry is ready, serve with rice or rotis

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