Obbattu (Holige) Recipe with A2 Ghee (Karnataka Sweet)
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By the Faimly Farm Team · Prep 30 min (plus resting) · Cook 30 min · Makes about 10 · A Karnataka classic
Obbattu — also called Holige in Karnataka and Puran Poli's southern cousin — is a festive stuffed sweet flatbread filled with a chana dal and jaggery filling, griddled and served glistening with pure ghee. Made for Ugadi, Diwali, and weddings, it is a labour of love crowned with generous ghee. Here is how.
Ingredients
For the dough: 1 cup all-purpose flour (maida) or fine wheat flour, a pinch of turmeric, 2 tbsp A2 ghee, water, salt.
For the filling (hooranu): 1 cup chana dal (Bengal gram), 3/4 cup jaggery, 1/4 tsp cardamom powder, a pinch of nutmeg.
To serve: generous A2 ghee.
Method
1. Make the dough: mix the flour, turmeric, salt, and ghee, then knead a soft, pliable dough with water. Rest it covered for at least an hour with a little ghee on top — a well-rested dough is key.
2. Cook the dal: boil the chana dal until soft but not mushy; drain well.
3. Make the filling: cook the dal with jaggery until thick, then grind into a smooth filling; add cardamom and nutmeg.
4. Stuff and roll: take a ball of dough, flatten, place a ball of filling inside, seal, and gently roll out into a thin round (use a little ghee or oil to help).
5. Griddle: cook on a hot tawa, smearing pure A2 ghee on both sides, until golden spots appear.
6. Serve: hot, with an extra drizzle of ghee.
Why Ghee Is Essential
Obbattu is traditionally cooked and served with generous pure ghee — it crisps the surface, enriches the flavour, and is the customary accompaniment poured over the top. The dish feels incomplete without good ghee.
The Faimly Farm Tip
Griddle and serve with generous pure A2 ghee. Ours is made from indigenous-cow milk by the traditional bilona method, in small lab-tested batches under our FSSAI licence. Explore our A2 Bilona Cow Ghee or the full A2 Ghee collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is obbattu/holige?
Obbattu (holige) is a Karnataka festive stuffed sweet flatbread with a chana dal and jaggery filling, griddled and served with generous ghee.
How is it different from puran poli?
It is the southern (Karnataka) version of the same idea; the dough is often thinner and the regional name and small technique differ, but both are dal-jaggery stuffed sweet flatbreads.
Why rest the dough?
A well-rested, ghee-enriched dough becomes pliable and stretchy, which is essential for rolling obbattu thin without tearing.
Why serve with ghee?
Generous pure ghee is the traditional accompaniment; it crisps and enriches the flatbread.
Which ghee is best?
Pure A2 cow ghee, ideally bilona-made, is the traditional choice.
Conclusion
Obbattu is festive Karnataka on a plate — a thin, tender sweet flatbread filled with dal and jaggery and glistening with pure ghee. It takes patience, but griddled in generous A2 ghee and served hot, it is a celebration worth the effort.
Make festive obbattu. Explore our A2 Ghee collection, try A2 Bilona Cow Ghee, and see our complete guide to cooking with A2 ghee. New customers can use code FIRST10 for 10% off their first order.
Faimly Farm: indigenous A2 milk, traditional bilona batches, lab-tested purity under our FSSAI licence. Learn more about Faimly Farm or contact us.
