OMG Obattu!

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Hi guys,
Welcome to Hubba Grubba's first (technically second, but that was just a hello, so let's call this the first) blogpost. Given that Mr FoodaKris and I have now moved base to namma Bengaluru, it only makes sense to kickstart this epicurean journey with a quintessential Bengaluru speciality - the obbattu/ ubbatti/ holige. Of course, its iterations - poli, puran poli, vedmi in the states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Goa and parts of Tamil Nadu - are well-known. Hailing from Mumbai, I have had my share of puran poli but I found the Kannadiga take on it mind-blowingly yummy, not to mention the variety on offer.


The holige encounter happened purely by chance, although I had longed to try it out. Luckily for me, a trip to the neighbourhood MTR cafe (I am talking about the one in Malleswaram; this place too deserves its own blogpost) brought us to the vicinity of a Holige Mane (translates into the home of holige aka puran poli). A hole-in-the-wall place, it’s rather easy to miss this shop and get enticed by the huge hoardings screaming for attention nearby.


And while great decor is all very good, I have always believed that the food needs to be the main attraction at an eatery. On this front, Holige Mane didn’t disappoint. The variety is impressive to begin with - there’s anjir (fig), dry fruits, khajur (date), khova, carrot, badami (almonds), dal (lentils), sugar and coconut versions. I tried the first four and particularly loved the dry fruit holige. Even better, it can be stored in the fridge for more than three days. There’s a generous dollop of dry fruits in this one and the jaggery just melts into the mouth. The coconut and khova ones may have the shortest shelf-life but it doesn’t take away from their pure ghee-soaked deliciousness, with perfect brown, crisp edges and a sweet, soft centre to boot!

Ideal in the winters and the windy monsoon, with some more ghee slathered on top and a minute or two in the microwave (unless you are eating them at the shop, straight from the pan). And if that’s not enough, Holige Mane has not one but two outlets in Bangalore, at Malleswaram and Vijay Nagar respectively. Of course, there are other holige outlets in the city - be it Mane Holige, Udupi Holige Mane and I hope to try them out soon. Till then, I have Holige Mane’s fare to revel in!

-- Mrs Foodakris

[The above photo shows my haul from the last visit (been there thrice already!). From top to bottom: Khova holige, coconut holige, pineapple holige and dryfruit holige - dont miss the last one!]

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