Traditional Goan Holle | Goan Sweet Rice Dumplings

Celebration and food are synonymous terms in Goa— whatever the size of the occasion, there must be great feasting! World over, it's common to have certain dishes associated with specific events; consider the American Thanksgiving turkey or the globally popular Good Friday hot cross buns, the British Christmas mince pies, the Ramadan biryani or the Sankranti tamarind rice. The food calls the family to gather around a table, pray and share— they share the food and their life's stories, remember their origins while passing down traditions to the younger generations contributing to the immortality of the good familial and community practices.

Hol (pronounced 'haul'; plural: holle, pronounced 'haul-lae') is a traditional Goan steamed dumpling prepared to commemorate the harvest festival (marked by the Feast of the Assumption) that is celebrated on the same day as our nation's Independence Day which is the 15th of August, and is made essentially with coconut and palm jaggery filled within a moulded leaf that is lined with rice paste. The São João festival, calls for a similar sweet known as Patoleo; the difference rests in the shape and the leaf used. Hol derives its name from its shape— a cone— and is formed within a Jackfruit leaf. Patoleo, on the other hand, is made with the leaves of the turmeric plant, and is called so because of it being characteristically flat and, comparatively, thin. Warm holle are snacked upon with a hot cup of afternoon tea or coffee.

You can watch the video for the recipe here; this recipe makes 15-16 cones.

Ingredients:

For the covering:

• Fresh and firm Jackfruit leaves to form the moulds (not too large nor too small; weak leaves will not hold shape) 
• Thin sticks of wood for the leaf to hold shape 
• 1 & 1/2 cups of Red rice, washed and soaked overnight or for 8 hours
• Water (as per need)
• 1 teaspoon of Salt or as per taste

For the filling:

• 2 cups of freshly grated coconut (we required one whole large coconut for this)
• 1 cup of Cane Sugar (yellow jaggery)
• 1/4 cup of Palm jaggery
• 1/4th cup Chana daal/Split Bengal gram (washed, soaked overnight and boiled)

Method:

Early preparation:

Wash and soak the rice and chana daal (lentils) overnight or for at least 8 hours.

For the covering:

1. Wash the leaves and dry them with a cloth. Form them into a cone and pierce a toothpick to keep them so.
2. Drain the rice and grind it to a fine paste. To this add the salt. 
3. Add water in parts only as much as required and continue grinding. The final paste must be wet enough to stick to the leaf but thick enough to hold its shape.

For the filling:

1. Boil the chana daal till they're just cooked. They must not be too soft and must withstand a gentle pressing.
2. Finely slice the jaggery and mix it with the freshly grated coconut. 
3. Stir in the boiled chanal daal (lentils) and mix well.

Assembling and Cooking:

1. Scoop a little of the rice paste and line the inside of the leaf-mould to completely coat the walls with a thin layer using your index finger.
2. Spoon some of the coconut filling into the cone but not to the very top; leave about a centimetre's space for the sealing layer.
3. Again take some rice paste, flatten it against the filling within the mould and seal off the cone.
4. Place the prepared cones in the steamer (a vessel filled with two cups of water, with a stand that allows for the passage of steam). The cones must be above the level of water; they will take about 20 minutes to cook in the produced steam.
5. Serve them hot; holle are usually plated with the leaf still on them. They are taken off by the individual himself/herself just before consumption.

Traditional recipes are a little work but are wonderful to be prepared at home, with everyone helping with some part. Use them as a way to involve the family and keep them alive!

Watch the recipe video below :)