HaalObattu - Sweet Milk Pancakes

This recipe is my mom-in-law's and is made mainly in South India, mostly in Tamil Nadu. It is very easy to make and takes very less effort. It is very different from traditional obattu in the sense of size and method. If you know to make chapati or poori, this is your "cup of cake" :).


We make it only on days where you can take a pass on your diet. Yes it is junk, and like all junk foods its good to taste but might not be necessarily healthy. I have made some small tweaks, wherever I could, to make it a tad bit healthy.


Main ingredients are All Purpose flour (Maida), Fine Semolina (Rava), milk and sugar.  Its really fun to make it and I think it goes well in those pot luck ideas, it carries well and can be refrigerated. While eating this, all I could think of is the peeni and chiroti prepared during functions and aww.. I miss those :(

Serves 4

Preparation time 45 mins

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup fine Semolina (Rava) 
• 1/2 cup unbleached All Purpose flour (Maida)
• 1 tsp ghee or melted butter
• 1-2 cloves crushed
• Water as needed
• A pinch of Salt
• 2 cups milk (I used 2%)
• 4-5 Saffron (kesari) strands
• Approx 4 tsp sugar (I used organic brown sugar)
• Almonds, cashews as needed (optional)*
• 1/8 tsp crushed cardamom seeds
• Oil for frying

Method:

• In a bowl mix Rava, Maida, ghee and cloves.
• Add water as needed and knead to make a firm, soft ball in your hand and let it rest for 30 mins
• Heat the oil. And after 30 mins, pinch lemon sized ball of the dough and roll it using a rolling pin to a round shape (like poori) and make as many pooris as possible.
• Fry the pooris in oil and make sure it does not bloat. I used a fork to poke it.
• Keep the fried pooris on a tissue cloth and let most of the oil drain out.
• Now add saffron to the milk and let it boil.
• Add sugar and cardamom seeds once it has boiled and switch off the stove.
• Sir the milk to make sure the sugar has melted completely
• Dunk or dip the pooris in this milk mixture just 5 mins before eating (soak it for more time in case it has to be more soft).
• Decorate it with almonds and cashews and either serve hot or refrigerate it and serve cold.

*Note : You can also use almond and cashew powders as well