I first had boli in Bangalore and fell in love with it- so soft and flaky and sweet but not too sweet. Yummilicious when had warm with some extra ghee on top- not for the calorie conscious for sure but a lovely treat.
Had been wanting some Boli and not being able to find it anywhere in Sydney, decided to make it. The below is a concoction of various recipes I saw online. It's easy but time consuming but have to admit, the final result was good!
Ingredients:
Outer cover:
2 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp to 1 tsp Turmeric powder
3/4 cup oil (I used sunflower oil)
Water
Salt to taste
Filling:
1 cup channa dal
3/4 to 1 cup grated jaggery (or can use sugar)
1/2 tsp Cardamom powder
1-2 Tbsp Ghee
The above made around 14 bolis of a fairly decent size.
Method:
To make the outer cover dough-
1. In a large bowl, add in the flour, salt and turmeric powder. Mix well.
2. Add a few tbsp of oil to get to a crumbly texture
3. Add enough water to make a sticky dough
4. Slowly start incorporating around 1/2 cup of the oil and knead the dough till well mixed
5. Place the rest of the oil in the bowl and ensure the dough is almost covered with the oil. Cover with a tea-towel or plate
6. Leave to rest for at least 2 hours- if possible, leave for around 7 hours
7. Before using, mix the rest of the oil into the dough. The dough should be very elastic.
Filling:
1. Soak channa dal preferably overnight
2. Strain and then add enough water, boil well (or pressure cook). Do not overcook- the dal should be well cooked that you can smash between your fingers but not mushy
3. Drain and keep aside to dry out
4. Mash the dal to fine paste (or pulse in a mixie). Ensure you do NOT add any water.
5. Add in jaggery and ghee and over low flame, heat the mix till jaggery is melted.
6. Continue cooking the mix till the consistency changes and the mix comes away from the bottom of the pan easily
7. Leave aside to cool
To make the boli:
1. Once filling mix has cooled, divide into equal number of balls around the size of a large lime or small lemon. Do not let it sit for too long as the mix will harden.
2. Divide the dough mix into the same number of balls but slightly smaller in size than the filling mix. This will ensure the whole boli has filling in it.
3. Flatten the dough mix in your palm, place the filling in the center and stretch the sides of the dough over the top to cover. Smoothen the filled ball and slightly flatten in your palm.
4. Without applying too much pressure, roll out the boli as thin as possible. Use some flour for dusting if needed.
5. Heat a non-stick pan or tawa on a medium low heat
6. Add some ghee to the pan. Cook the boli on the pan till air bubbles appear. Add some more ghee and flip the boli (just once). Cook the other side as well. Try not to get any brown spots on the boli.
Boli is ready to eat. Enjoy!!
Had been wanting some Boli and not being able to find it anywhere in Sydney, decided to make it. The below is a concoction of various recipes I saw online. It's easy but time consuming but have to admit, the final result was good!
Ingredients:
Outer cover:
2 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp to 1 tsp Turmeric powder
3/4 cup oil (I used sunflower oil)
Water
Salt to taste
Filling:
1 cup channa dal
3/4 to 1 cup grated jaggery (or can use sugar)
1/2 tsp Cardamom powder
1-2 Tbsp Ghee
The above made around 14 bolis of a fairly decent size.
Method:
To make the outer cover dough-
1. In a large bowl, add in the flour, salt and turmeric powder. Mix well.
2. Add a few tbsp of oil to get to a crumbly texture
3. Add enough water to make a sticky dough
4. Slowly start incorporating around 1/2 cup of the oil and knead the dough till well mixed
5. Place the rest of the oil in the bowl and ensure the dough is almost covered with the oil. Cover with a tea-towel or plate
6. Leave to rest for at least 2 hours- if possible, leave for around 7 hours
7. Before using, mix the rest of the oil into the dough. The dough should be very elastic.
Filling:
1. Soak channa dal preferably overnight
2. Strain and then add enough water, boil well (or pressure cook). Do not overcook- the dal should be well cooked that you can smash between your fingers but not mushy
3. Drain and keep aside to dry out
4. Mash the dal to fine paste (or pulse in a mixie). Ensure you do NOT add any water.
5. Add in jaggery and ghee and over low flame, heat the mix till jaggery is melted.
6. Continue cooking the mix till the consistency changes and the mix comes away from the bottom of the pan easily
7. Leave aside to cool
To make the boli:
1. Once filling mix has cooled, divide into equal number of balls around the size of a large lime or small lemon. Do not let it sit for too long as the mix will harden.
2. Divide the dough mix into the same number of balls but slightly smaller in size than the filling mix. This will ensure the whole boli has filling in it.
3. Flatten the dough mix in your palm, place the filling in the center and stretch the sides of the dough over the top to cover. Smoothen the filled ball and slightly flatten in your palm.
4. Without applying too much pressure, roll out the boli as thin as possible. Use some flour for dusting if needed.
5. Heat a non-stick pan or tawa on a medium low heat
6. Add some ghee to the pan. Cook the boli on the pan till air bubbles appear. Add some more ghee and flip the boli (just once). Cook the other side as well. Try not to get any brown spots on the boli.
Boli is ready to eat. Enjoy!!
