Uppittu / Sweet chappathy / Kadalaparippu Boli

Diwali is here and what a great time to make sweets. How about a sweet paratha? This traditional recipe was given to me by my aunt Mrs. Swarnam Ramaswamy. "Uppittu" and 'boli are almost the same but the former is much easier to make than 'boli'. (At least for me as I do not like to roll dough using a rolling pin as it's hard for me to get a round shape!)

Recipe for making 10 uppittu.

Ingredients:
Kadala parippu / Channa dal- 1/2 cup
Jaggery - 1 1/2 cup
Coconut - 1/2 cup
Cardamom / elaichi - 2 pods
Maida - 1 cup
Til oil / nallenai - 3 to 4 tbsp
Ghee - 1/2 cup
salt - 1 pinch
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Banana leaf / butter paper - small square - 1

Method:
Soak the dal in water for 10 minutes and pressure cook with 1 cup water until very soft (2 whistles + low flame 1 whistle).

Knead the maida, salt and turmeric powder with a little water into a slightly loose dough (dough which can be spread with a roller; like a chappathy dough).

Now add the til oil 1 spoon at a time and continue kneading. You might have to use more or less 3 tbsp of til oil. The oil should start seeping out of the dough. (Meaning: The dough cannot hold more oil and acts like a non-stick!) Make a ball and keep covered.

Heat the jaggery with 1 cup of water in a heavy bottomed vessel. Once it melts, sieve to remove all impurities.
Clean vessel and start reheating jaggery liquid in the same vessel.

Grind the coconut and cardamom together without any water.
Add this to the jaggery.

Remove all the excess water from the dal and grind / mash into a fine paste.
Add this also to the jaggery.

Continue cooking till the whole mixture forms a ball. Now add 1 tbsp of ghee and mix well. Turn off flame. Do not change the vessel.

Take the banana leaf and heat it over an open flame till it changes colour (about 2 secs at a particular spot). Color turns into dark green.

If banana leaf is not available use a butter paper or the underside of a flat steel plate.
Grease the banana leaf / butter paper / steel plate with 1 tsp ghee.
Now take a small ball of the dough and equal size ball of the jaggery mixture.

Use your finger tips to stretch the maida dough and place the jaggery mixture in the middle.

Cover this with the dough and make a ball.

Use your greased hand to spread ball and make a thin patty.

Heat a girdle and spread some ghee on it.
Invert the leaf with the patty over the girdle and slowly remove the leaf.

Flip after 20 seconds.

Reduce the flame. Cook till golden spots appear.
Cook both sides well.

Repeat the process with rest of the dough/ jaggery mixture.