THENGAI OPPUTTU/ THENGAI POLI

                                

Festivals like Adi Pathinettam perukku, ShrinVaralakshmi Viratham, Shri Ganesh Chathurthi, Avani Avittam and local Mariamman Festivals, Family-get-together and other Special Family occasions are incomplete without sweet delicacies. One of the sweets that add festival spirit in our life is Opputtu/Puran Poli. This delight has various versions. Coconut Poli is very delicious and often takes part in South Indian occasions. It is an authentic and traditional way of serving to newly married couple's special first feast of their special day.

Thengai Opputtu/ Coconut Poli/Puran Poli is a traditional sweet made for the special occasions of a family, local festival celebrations, wedding feasts, dedicated as a  special offering to deities.

 The making of the sweet involves two steps i.e.,

Making of Outer wrap

Making of inner stuffing.

Preparation Time 40 minutes

Yield:  8 Opputus/Polis

How to make:

For Outer Wrap, we need:

Maida/All Purpose flour 250 gms

Turmeric 1/4 tsp

Salt one pinch

Semolina 1 tsp soaked in water 1 tsp

Ghee 4 tsps

Water as needed

For inner stuffing, we need

Shredded coconut 300 gms

Jaggery powder 250gms

Cardamom seeds crushed 1/2 tsp

Ghee for roasting Coconut gratings 1 tbsp

Overall Ghee as needed 50 ml

Procedure:

Make a soft pliable dough by adding All-purpose flour, Turmeric, soaked Semolina and a pinch of salt. Use ghee generously to make this nonsticky pliable dough. Cover it and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, we will prepare inner stuff :

Roast the shredded coconut with one or 3 tsps of ghee on medium heat. Once the coconut gratings turn out non-sticky, switch off the flame and let it cool down.

Transfer the roasted coconut, jaggery powder and cardamom seeds crushed to a mixer jar. Run the mixer at high speed for 2 minutes.

Now the mixture was ground with fine texture.

Make 8 gooseberry sized balls. Keet them ready.

Divide the dough into equal lumps.  You will get 8 balls 

There are two methods of rolling.

Take one portion of the dough and apply some drops of ghee around it.

Flatten it on a banana leaf to a thick half-inch disc.

Place the jaggery ball and close it around by stretching the dough to the centre.

Make a sealed ball and flatten to a circular disc by smearing ghee in hand.

Place the Poli on a hot griddle and take out the banana leaf gently.

Drizzle ghee all over the sides of Poli and flip it and cook until brown spots appear.

Medium flame, please.

Another way:

Dust  one spoon of flour over the chapati maker

Flatten one dough ball to a small disc.

Place the coconut ball in the centre.

Seal the coconut ball by pulling the dough on all sides and close.

Flatten again by hand.

Sprinkle flour over it and spread the dough using a rolling pin gently.

Take care not to pop up the coconut mixture out of the dough spread.

Make polis/Opputtus thick or thin by spreading with a rolling pin.

Transfer the opputu/Poli on a hot griddle and drizzle ghee over it.

Cook until bubbles appear.

Then flip to other side and apply little ghee.

Cook until golden spots appear on Poli.

Take out of the griddle and place it on a dry plate or banana leaf.

Ready.

Kongu folks call this sweet as Opputu. 

This sweet is having different names in different states of our nation. Puran Poli, Holige, Vedmi, Obbattu, God Poli, Pappu Bakshalu, Bhakshalu, Babbattu Oliga etc..This sweet is famous in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Andra pradesh. Telugana and Tamil Nadu.