: For 35 Years, Iconic Bengaluru Eatery Has Made Holiges Free From Maida, Sugar Preservatives #IndiaNEWS #Bengaluru Around the time of Ugadi (13 April), celebrated as the New Year in southern states

For 35 Years, Iconic Bengaluru Eatery Has Made Holiges Free From Maida, Sugar Preservatives #IndiaNEWS #Bengaluru
Around the time of Ugadi (13 April), celebrated as the New Year in southern states such as Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, it is customary to prepare dishes including the famous holige. Also known as obattu, holige is a paper-thin pancake made from flour, stuffed with dal, jaggery or coconut, and slathered with ghee on top.
The process of making holige is complicated and time consuming, and requires an experienced hand. For this reason, to satisfy their sweet cravings, many families buy their holige from iconic outlets that prepare the dish using traditional recipes. Some of the best stores that make the sweet dish are located in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
However, with several people now making a switch to healthier lifestyles, the demand for this mouth-watering dish, which is packed with carbohydrates and sugars, has reduced.
To keep up with changing trends, Bhat’s Holige Mane, a 35-year-old shop located in a small lane of Bengaluru’s Ramakrishna Nagar, makes healthy versions of holige. Here, the dish is made using multigrain atta instead of maida, organic jaggery instead of sugar, and zero preservatives.
“While we also make the traditional type of holige, five years ago, we noticed that customers were curious to know if we had a sugar-free version or a millet-based version. They wanted to eat traditional sweets, but stay healthy at the same time. So we took up a challenge to make holige from atta instead of maida,??? says Srinivas Bhat (55), the second-generation owner of the store.
Srinivas Bhat (55), the second-generation owner of the store.
Labour of love
In 1986, Srinivas’s father Ramachandra Bhat migrated from a small village in Sringeri to Bengaluru to work as a chef. According to Srinivas, his father learnt cooking from his mother while growing up. He adds that Ramachandra was well-versed in making all kinds of south Indian dishes, especially sweets.
Ramachandra Bhat, the founder of Bhats Holige Mane.
While working as a chef in one of Bengaluru’s hotels, Ramachandra had the opportunity to cater for a large event. During this event, he prepared fresh holige to serve the guests, and the dish turned out to be a hit.
“Many people praised the holige he made, and he received many more orders. He realised there was a demand for homemade holige, which prompted him to start a business from home,??? says Srinivas, adding that the family continues to work out of the same outlet, and has not relocated or opened a second outlet.
Ramachandra launched the business by making two varieties of holige. One was filled with coconut and jaggery, the other with split yellow gram. With help from another person, he would make fresh ones every day, package them and distribute them to sweet stalls in the city.

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